


Down in the Underland

by FlameWolf



Category: Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Genre: BDSM, Bloodplay, Bondage, Death, Dominance/submission, F/M, Fingering, Gore, Knifeplay, Oral, Pregnancy, non-con elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-20
Updated: 2016-01-06
Packaged: 2018-04-16 06:23:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 41,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4614558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlameWolf/pseuds/FlameWolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two years since she left and everything has gone crazy. Mainly a certain Hatter. Can Alice bring him back from insanity?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Of Muchness and Madness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from the original Alice in Wonderland book or Tim Burton's movie version. This story is made for fun and I make no profit from it.

A string of wild ravings came from the closed door, causing her pale brow to knit in concern. Her brown eyes filled with fear as she heard a familiar Scottish brogue cry out brokenly for the champion. The Mad Hatter had well and truly gone mad and there was no one in her kingdom who could reach him now. All too soon she heard the sounds of him smashing himself into the padded walls of his prison over and over again. “Ye said ye'd bae back bef're I knew it! Yeh promised!” came the pained, angry brogue as his body slammed into the wall over and over. Pursing her black lipsticked lips, the white queen sent in her strongest guards to subdue the Hatter so he wouldn't hurt himself. The occurrence had become fair too often for her tastes, happening once every two hours. Swiping her white hair out of her face, she sighed sadly. Then she summoned a scribe. She had hoped to put this off but her friend was getting worse as the days went on.

“Take a letter, then give it to Chessur,” she murmured, as her scribe came up to her.

Two years, it had been two years since she had come back. The cool, salty air blew through her honey colored locks gently as she took a deep breath of the sea air. She hadn't left her ship 'Underland' for those past years, only disembarking when she needed to make a trade agreement. As she smiled contently, she closed her eyes. Her smile fell as two familiar, vibrant green eyes appeared as soon as she closed her eyes. The Hatter was all she had been able to think about these past years, The haunted, broken look in his eyes when she had left still ate at her on the inside.

Her dreams had started out innocent enough. He was always happy to see her back, offering her some tea. Then, as the dreams went on, it began to change. It always started the same way but then his eyes would switch to a burning orange and his hands would be on her. His lips crashing down on hers roughly as she tangled her small hands in his violently orange hair. A blush flamed Alice's pale cheeks as she remembered her dreams. She opened her eyes, unaware of the single tear that rolled down her porcelain cheek. “Capn',” came a timid male voice from behind her, breaking through her thoughts.

She turned, a small smile on her face as she looked up at the crewman. He towered over her, wearing a black shirt and work pants. He had a weeks worth of stubble on his strong chin and his blue eyes were full of concern for her. His shoulder length, blonde hair was tied back in a small ponytail and he ran a large hand through it. “We're almost at the London port,” he informed her. The small woman in front of him had been so distant for the past few months. She had barely eaten anything and was often on the decks, staring out at the sea.

“Thank you Justin,” Alice replied, smiling softly.

“Cap'n.... are ya alright?” he asked, searching her eyes.

Alice startled at the question, then thought about it. She had been very distant to her crew as of late. She had often wanted to be alone to look at the vast ocean as she thought of hatters and tea parties. It only made sense that her crew had noticed her odd behavior and were concerned. Smiling tiredly, she patted Justin's arm reassuringly. “I'm fine. I've just been homesick,” she replied. While it wasn't a lie, it wasn't the whole truth. The home she was sick for was with a man with eyes that changed with his mood. A half mad man with wild, bright orange hair.

Justin nodded, relief visible in the lines of his body. Her being homesick made a lot of sense, after all it had been two years since she hand left Britain to continue her father's dream. All her efforts had brought an unknown fame to the name Kingsleigh, which was what she had been striving for. His heart filled with fondness for the scrap of the girl in front of him. He had worked for her father for a couple years before he died. The man had worked so hard for so little, his family being the only light in his world. Alice was finally giving his name the recognition it deserved.

Alice frowned at the look Justin was giving her, the heat in his eyes making something deep within her stir to life. Recognizing the beginnings of arousal, she turned her back to the crewman. She had never been with a man and her body had been craving the touch of the Hatter ever since she had come back. Still, she wouldn't give into her baser needs with Justin. The man had been loyal to her and her father, he was so gentle and caring to her. He always made sure she was taken care of but she simply couldn't bed anyone who wasn't the Hatter. She unconsciously shuddered as she remembered the last time she had tried.

After weeks of the nightly torture of the Hatter ravaging her in her dreams, Alice couldn't stand it anymore. As soon as they had docked, she had charged down the gangplank and into the small port town. She had instructed her crewmen to not follow her, mortified at what they might think of her if they knew what she was up to. She knew her crewmen indulged in the ladies of the night but it was a much different thing for a lady to be doing it. Looking around nervously, she headed to a huge, elaborate building.

The Madame behind the counter was old but pretty. Her severe green eyes shot to Alice as soon as she entered and she smiled gently. Her black hair hung past her waist and she wore a form fitting, red, silk dress. She walked toward the newcomer on red, stiletto heels. “Hello dear, is this your first time?” she asked kindly.

Alice was pleasantly surprised as she walked in, half expecting nude men to be sprawled on large cushions. The reception room was a rich, red color, reminding her of the Red Queen. A spicy incense met her nose and she breathed it in deeply. The smell pulled at a vague memory in the back of her mind but she ignored it as the Madame approached her. Alice blushed a deep crimson at her question. Was she that obvious? “Y-yes,” she stammered, avoiding the woman's eyes.

“It isn't just your first time coming to a brothel. Its your first time period,” the older woman stated gently.

“Y-yes,” Alice found herself answering, despite her deep mortification.

The Madame stared at the wisp of a girl in front of her, trying to keep her astonishment off her face. This child had never had a beau, had never felt the pleasures of a man and was coming to a brothel. Surely there was no lack of suitable young men for the girl to choose from. She was a pretty thing and had something about her that drew you in. Still, this young lady was a customer and it was really none of her business. “Follow me, I'll take you to the waiting room,” she responded before walking down a short corridor to the left.

Alice followed behind the older woman, looking at the tasteful paintings that lined the corridor. They were of landscapes, obviously done by a very talented painter. The woman smiled at her before opening a dark, oak door to reveal a huge room. The room was a deep red and filled with red, soft looking armchairs. “Make yourself comfortable. I will be back in a moment,” the Madame stated, before turning and leaving Alice in the room alone.

Almost all the chairs were heart shaped, making another memory tingle in the back of her mind. “No. You're not going to think of Queens or hatters! This night is for you,” she admonished herself, forcing herself to sit in one of the large, heart shaped chairs. She sank a few inches into the plush material and she found herself smiling at the softness.

Only a few moments later the Madame opened the door, bringing in a man. The man was tall, lithe and lightly muscled. He had short, brown hair and had no facial hair to speak of. He was dressed in normal clothes, which surprised Alice. She had almost expected him to be wearing a thong and to be led by a collar and leash. “This is Jake. He's our most gentle man. He will take care of you tonight. You will only pay if you're satisfied. He has been informed of your purity,” the Madame stated with a small smile, then she turned and left.

Alice struggled to get to her feet to properly greet Jake but the squishiness of the chair was worse than quicksand. Jake smiled kindly, moving to her quickly and offering his hand to her. Looking up at him gratefully, she grabbed his hand and hefted herself out of the chair. “Thank you,” she replied, looking up at him. What she saw almost made her fall back into the chair she had just escaped. His eyes were a very familiar vibrant green. She blinked to erase the image and when she opened her eyes she saw they were a gray-blue.

Jake steadied her with gentle hands, looking at her with concern on his face. “Are you alright miss?” he asked, his voice a sweet baritone that sent shudders down her spine.

“Y-yes. Just felt a bit faint,” she stammered, trying to erase the memory of what had just happened. Jake smiled at her kindly before taking her small hand in his and leading her through a door in the left wall. He led her down a long hall filled with ornate wooden doors. Stopping in front of one, he opened the door; letting her walk in first.

The room was huge and just as deep red as the rest of the place. In the middle of the room was a large, heart shaped bed with red sheets. What was it with this place with hearts and red? All it was doing was reminding her of a time long since past. She couldn't let herself think of Underland tonight. Tonight she was just Alice Kingsleigh! With a determined look on her face she laid down on the bed. She looked up at Jake, doubt starting to slip in. She had never done this before, she was unsure of what to do next.

Still smiling at her kindly, Jake slowly removed his shirt; revealing a hairless chest. He had a slight muscle tone to him but not enough to define his chest. “Peace miss, let me take care of you. Just tell me if you get uncomfortable,” he purred gently, crawling onto the bed.

“A-aren't you going to take off your pants?” Alice stammered, blushing deeply. Jake chuckled, cupping her face in one hand.

“I don't think you're ready for that m'lady,” he purred before kissing her gently.

Alice's eyes widened in shock for a moment before she melted, putting her pale arms around his strong neck. Suddenly blazing orange eyes filled her vision. They narrowed accusingly, their color almost deepening to red. “Nae lass. Yae're mine and no one else'll have ye,” an angry brogue growled.

 _'Shut up! Just let me be me! Just one night I want to be normal! Please!'_ she pleaded in her mind, returning the kiss with false fervor. Jake seemed to notice, pulling away and looking at her with a gentle concern.

“Don't force yourself m'lady,” he whispered, gently moving her hair behind her delicate ears. Ignoring the growing volume and frequency of the Hatter's voice in her head, Alice pulled Jake back into a heated kiss; her tongue intertwining with his.

“Ah'm warnin' ya Alice, stop. Ah'll nae le' some fruxium have wha's mine,” the Hatter snarled in her head.

 _'I'm not yours! I'm my own!'_ she hissed back in her head, not truly believing those words.

Suddenly she found herself being laid down by Jake. Blinking, Alice broke the kiss and he sat up. With gentle hands, Jake began to lift her green shirt; revealing her milky skin to his gaze. Gingerly, he began to massage one of her wrapping covered breasts. Alice's eyes fluttered shut as she let out a breathy moan. Her vision was filled with blazing, red eyes that were filled with a deep rage and betrayal. “Ah warned ye Alice,” he growled before the eyes disappeared. Next thing she knew, Jake's warmth was ripped from on top of her.

Alice's brown eyes shot open to see the brightly clothed Hatter throwing her would be lover against a red painted wall. Her heart leapt in her throat as he turned his gaze to her. His eyes were filled with madness as well as fury and blazed a deep crimson. Gripping his fingerless gloved hands into fists, the oddly dressed man stalked towards her. Today he was wearing a purple tux with too short legs. He had a green shirt on under the coat and a purple cravat. He also wore his normal top hat, striped socks and black shoes. His blazing eyes were surrounded by almost black circles, making it seem as if he hadn't slept in years.

He approached her slowly, an air of danger and threat around him that she had never felt before. Roughly, he pulled her off the bed; his pale face mere inches from hers. “Naughty lil gel,” he hissed, holding her wrists in a painful grip. Suddenly a sharp point was against her neck as his glare intensified.

“Ah'll keel ye afore I le' anotha have ye,” he snarled, pressing the point into her pale throat to make his point clear. For the first time, Alice found herself afraid of her dear friend. Until now she would have never thought he would ever hurt her.

“Hatter, please,” she whimpered, closing her eyes. Suddenly she was released and she opened her eyes to see the room empty except for the unconscious Jake. Had it all been a dream? There wasn't any way the Hatter could have been there was there? With shaky hands Alice pulled on her shirt and ran. She ran until she was out of the brothel and back on her ship. Her heart thundering in her chest, she ordered the men to prepare to set sail.

Unknown to Alice, the night she remembered was more true than she knew. That night Hatter had gone uncharacteristically quiet. He had sat down in one corner, staring at the ground and occasionally spasming. Mirana came into the dark chamber, kneeling in front of her friend. “Hatter...,” she whispered, reaching cautiously to touch his shaking shoulder.

Suddenly his head shot up, his eyes a rage filled crimson. A low growl escaped his throat as he got to his feet. “H-hatter?” the white queen stammered fearfully, backing away from the enraged man. Something glinting in the moonlight caught her attention, her eyes flicking to his hand to see a throwing knife. Gasping, Mirana backed away, her black eyes filled with fear.

“Nae, Alice. He won' have ye,” he hissed darkly before he had simply vanished from his cell.

Mirana had the guards search the entire castle in a frantic hurry to find the crazed Hatter. She even had Chessur on the lookout for him. She paced her pure white room in a panic, her hands clasped behind her small back. If he had gone where she suspected she could only pray the Hatter hadn't harmed Alice. If he ever came back to his mind, he would never forgive himself for harming her. After what seemed like an eternity but was really only a few minutes, a guard came running into her room. “Highness! He's appeared back in his cell,” he exclaimed.

In a flash, the white queen was running down the many halls until she reached the small chamber. She looked desperately at the armored guard stationed there. “Did he have any blood on him?” she asked, a frightened edge to her voice.

“No Highness,” he murmured through his helmet.

“How is he?” she asked, only slightly relaxing.

“In a terrible state Highness. He's throwing those bloody knives at anything that moves in there,” he responded, the moonlight glinting off the white armor.

“We'll remove them when he's asleep,” she whispered regretfully. Then she turned and looked at the door. A string of loud Outlandish curses rang from within the padded chamber. Most of them aimed at a certain champion.

A gentle hand on her shoulder broke her from her memories. With a shuddering sigh, she turned to smile at Justin. “I'm alright Justin. I'll be glad to be home. Would you mind giving me some time alone?” she asked.

“Aye Cap'n. I'll let ya know when we're almost to port,” he responded before leaving her alone with her thoughts.

More tears slipped down her cheeks as she felt her heart tugging in her chest. Despite what had happened a year and a half ago, she still found herself longing to be back in Hatter's arms. If only to reassure herself that her dear friend would never harm her and that it had been a horrible hallucination. Something fluffy brushed gently against her neck, startling her out of her thoughts. Spinning around, she looked around for what had touched her and swore she saw a flicker of purple fur. “Chess?” she whispered, knowing it was impossible. There was no way the feline could be here.

A toothy grin briefly appeared in midair in front of her, quickly dispelling her doubts. Her heart racing again, Alice headed to her cabin as casually as possible. It had to be important for Chessur to make the journey to Overland. Once inside the small room, she shut the door and turned to see the huge purple striped cat floating in front of her. “Chess!” she exclaimed, hugging him tightly. Happiness welled within her at seeing her feline friend after all this time even if he did possibly bring disastrous news.

“Alice. Its good to see you're well,” he purred, licking her forehead with his sandpaper tongue.

“Why are you here?” she asked, pulling away to look in the cat's large, luminous green eyes. The smile Chessur usually had disappeared as sadness filled his being.

“I bring a summons from Queen Mirana,” he whispered, holding out a small, white envelope. It was sealed with a black wax spade.

With shaky hands, Alice opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. It was written in black pen and the cursive was beautiful. It read “Dear Alice, I regret to inform you that our dear friend the Hatter hasn't been well. His madness has completely taken him over, making him very dangerous for anyone to be around. He has mentioned you most in his mad babbling so I thought maybe you could help him. I would never think to interrupt your life but he has begun harming himself. It is of utmost importance that you return to Underland as soon as you can.” It was signed with a black heart.

Lowering the letter, Alice looked up to see Chessur gone. What had the letter meant? Anxiously, Alice put the letter in her pants pocket before going back on deck. Her brown eyes fixed on the port that was still miles away as questions filled her dizzy mind. She had already been planning to make a visit to Underland to visit the Hatter and her other friends. Now she would be coming back to help him. She was unsure if she could even help him at all.

As Alice watched the almost full harbor inch closer she found herself cursing the slowness of her ship. Her heart twisted in her chest with the need to go to Underland to find out exactly what happened. Pain filled her heart as she began to question if this was her fault for not visiting sooner. All her good intentions, like making her father's dearest dream come true, paled to what had seemed to happen to her precious friend. She felt a mad itch inside to simply dive off the ship and swim to shore. Logically she knew it would be slower than the ship but the itching to do something was driving her mad.

After an eternity, her ship finally came to dock. She watched her crew with impatient eyes, tapping her booted foot impatiently as they threw the land lines and prepared the gangplank. Once the long piece of splintered wood was sat down, she was sprinting down it; not even waiting for them to tie it in place. She only stopped at a carriage stand, impatiently looking around for a carriage to hire. Finally one pulled up, stopping to let Alice climb in. Frantically, she told him the address; promising a large tip if he hurried.

As soon as she sat down, the carriage rocketed off, the speed of the vehicle pressing her into the seat. It only took a moment for the driver to get to her long driveway and pull to a stop. Alice hopped out, give him his fair as well as a rather generous tip before running for her backyard. Weaving through the hedge maze, Alice reached the small forest and stopped in front of a familiar tree. The rabbit hole looked dark and threatening, making her hesitant to go anywhere near it. Plucking up her courage, she took a deep breath before leaping into the dark hole.

Slowly she floated down, various objects passing her as she drifted down. Her heart racing in her chest, Alice tried not to scream in frustration as she continued her slow descent. The more time she had to think, the more sure she was that this was her fault. She owed it to the Hatter to help him. Finally she reached the ground, sprinting down the long hall until she reached a familiar room with a familiar table.

Alice grabbed the tiny key first, stuffing it into her pants pocket. Then she uncapped the small, clouded, glass bottle with the tag 'Drink Me' on it. Gingerly, she took a tiny sip of the thick, purple liquid. A myriad of her favorite flavors filled her mouth as she shrunk down to the size of a mouse. Clutching a handkerchief to her body, she grabbed a small green cake with purple frosting on it that said 'Eat Me' from a small, glass box. Holding the pink handkerchief to her and awkwardly juggling the cake and key, Alice sprinted to the tiny door. Setting down the cake, she unlocked it and swung it open.

Once it was open, she set the cake on the other side of the door then sprinted back to her clothes. After a lot of pulling and effort, Alice managed to shove her clothes through the small opening. Then she scampered through, shutting the door behind her. Picking up the small cake, she took a tiny nibble. Next thing she knew, she had grown to her normal size. As quickly as she could, the embarrassed female got dressed and put her handkerchief in her pocket along with the key and the rest of the cake.

A small gasp of wonder escaped her lips as she took in the majesty around her. Everything was much more vibrant and green. The giant mushrooms were far more colorful and Rocking Horseflies played in a gentle breeze. A purple Bread-and-Butterfly flew close to Alice's face, tickling her nose briefly before flying off. The entire air around her fairly sparked with wild magic. All around her small voices were whispering her name with reverence. Even the trees appeared to be waving to her in welcome.

Suddenly the ground began to to shake and everything went quiet as something huge made it way to them. At first a chill of fear had run through Alice until she heard a familiar barking. “Bandy!” she squealed happily, running to meet with the Bandersnatch. The lumbering white beast with black stripes came gallumphing up to her, stopping only inches from running her down. Drool hung from his huge, fang filled mouth as he smiled awkwardly at her, his stubby tail wagging a mile a minute. The huge beast licked her with his giant, slimy tongue.

Alice giggled and groaned at the same time, covered in Bandersnatch drool. “I missed you too Bandy,” she replied, giving him a fond pat. Bandy made a grunting noise before laying down to allow her to climb on.

“Thank you,” she whispered, climbing onto his huge back and settling in his coarse fur.

Bandy waited for her to settle herself before running off to the palace. Alice hung onto the rough fur, squinting her eyes against the blinding wind from their speed. Even the Bandersnatch had been able to sense the urgency in the air and got her to the doors of the White Palace within a matter of moments. Bandy screeched to a halt in front of the huge doors, laying down to let his small passenger slide off.

Alice slid off, running into the huge front room of the palace. “Queen Mirana!” she called out, looking everywhere for the missing Queen. Finally her eyes settled on a white figure floating towards her hurriedly.

“Alice! You've come back,” Mirana called as she approached the other female hurriedly. Suddenly she took Alice's hand in hers, pulling her along as she ran through several halls.

“We haven't a moment to lose,” she whispered urgently as she ran. Then she stopped in front of a lone wooden door behind which a Scottish brogue raved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This is my first time writing about this particular pair. Please forgive any OOC that may happen. (Also, guess what the title of the fic is referencing!)


	2. Into the Lion's Den

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Posted this on Adult Fanfiction sometime last year and had three chapters done. Will probably be working on this and 'Midnight Roses', along with some work on 'Loving the Heartless'.

Alice stared at the wooden door, a look of horror on her face. The string of Outlandish filth pouring from behind the door was enough to make a sailor blush. And it seemed all the swears were associated with her. Suddenly the vicious brogue petered out, changing into a mournful lisp. “Alice. Alice! ALIIIIIICE!” he wailed brokenly, beginning to throw himself against the padded wall. Heart lurching in her chest, Alice began to head toward the door; only to be held back by Mirana.

“It wouldn't be safe right now,” she whispered, sadness in her black eyes. With a flick of her wrist, she sent some of her guards in to restrain the Hatter.

“How long has he been like this?” Alice whispered, a horrified look on her face.

“He's been getting worse and worse since you left. He's had to be imprisoned for a year now. Though there was one night where he simply disappeared,” Mirana responded, not missing the fright in Alice's brown eyes.

“Did you see him that night?” the wispy woman asked, raising a delicate brow.

“Y-yes. I was... there was... and he... I thought he was going to kill me,” Alice stammered, fear filling her. It had been real! The Hatter, her friend, had threatened her life over sleeping with a man. What would have happened if she had just written it off as a bad dream and tried again? A shudder ran through her body at the thought.

“With the state he's been in, he very well may have. Alice, he's gone completely mad. He isn't the Hatter we know anymore. When I had sent the letter I had hoped you would be able to help him. Unfortunately his sorrow has turned into a dangerous rage ever since the night he disappeared. I don't think even you can reach him now. He may even try to kill you,” Mirana whispered, a single tear rolling down her white cheek.

Alice stepped back, shaking her head as hot tears filled her eyes. No, she had to help him! She had to try even if it meant her own death. This was her fault and she owed it to her friend to try to fix this. “I want to try, your Majesty,” she replied, fighting back tears of guilt as she bowed to the queen.

“Just call me Mirana, Alice. Are you sure?” the Queen asked, searching Alice's eyes.

The young woman squared her shoulders, a determined gleam in her eyes. She shoved away the guilt eating at her heart, it wouldn't help her right now. She would need all her strength to help her dear friend who she had helped to break. “Yes. I have a strong suspicion that this is my fault. I should have come back sooner,” she replied, smiling sadly.

“Let's wait until this episode passes. You'll have a better chance of reaching him,” Mirana whispered, clasping her delicate hands together in front of her white dress.

The minutes seemed to stretch into eternity as the guards within the small chamber tried to restrain the raving Hatter. Each crazed yell for her made a lance of pain shoot through her heart. She wanted desperately to go in and comfort him, to tell him she was here. It was only for her own safety that she restrained herself. It would do no good at all to have Hatter hurt her, she had a suspicion that he would never come back from that.

After what seemed like hours, the Hatter finally went quiet. The guards waited with him, waiting to see if he would become a danger to himself again. After a few moments of silence, the guards marched out of the room but stayed close in case they were needed. The door of the room yawned open like a mouth, the prospect of going in there filling her with a sense of foreboding. A gentle hand on her arm broke her from her thoughts. She turned her head to see the Queen staring at her with sympathetic eyes. “You don't have to go in there,” Mirana whispered.

“Yes I do...,” she murmured, squaring her shoulders.

“If you need help, I'll send the guards right in,” the Queen reassured her, tightening her grip on Alice's arm for a moment before letting go.

Plucking up her courage, Alice wandered into the dim room and closed the door behind her. Giving her eyes a moment to adjust, she stood near the entrance and looked around for the Hatter. A flash of purple caught her eye as she saw a slumped figure sitting against a wall. His wild orange hair looked strangely naked without his hat and his head was bent down. Cautiously, Alice approached her friend, wincing at the noise her hard boot heels made on the white, marble floor. The room was pure white with soft, pillow-like walls. The only source of light was two small windows.

Stopping a few feet away from the Hatter, Alice tried hard not to fidget. “Hatter?” she whispered, trying hard not to let her voice shake. His hands, which were on the ground by his sides, twitched. Slowly, his head lifted a bit but not enough for her to see his face.

“Alice?” a familiar lisp responded, almost hopefully.

“Yes, I'm back Hatter,” she responded softly, smiling gently.

The purple clad man raised his orange haired head more, his vibrant green eyes locking with hers. “Alice,” he breathed, pulling himself into a standing position. Alice straightened with him, keeping her eyes locked on his. His green eyes sparkled with happiness as a new life seemed to be breathed into the Hatter.

“Oh Alice! I'm so glad you've come back! I'm afraid I can't offer much in way of celebration refreshment right now. I'm so glad you came back,” he gushed, clapping his hands together excitedly. His orange stained fingers stood out against the paleness of his skin. Alice smiled, keeping a wary eye on her friend just in case his mood changed suddenly.

“Oh I must talk to Queen Mirana! We must have tea and cakes and scones and...,” he began to ramble, pacing back and forth while waving his hands wildly from excitement.

Suddenly the Hatter halted mid-step, his eyes going wide before the color in them began to swirl and change. “No... You can't be Alice. Its just another figment. Alice won't come back,” he murmured, his voice beginning to slip into a rough brogue. Alice felt her heart plummet as she witnessed his eyes starting to change. She had to try to bring him back before he lost himself to his madness.

“Hatter, its me! I'm right here,” she pleaded, almost reaching for the now shaking man, her hand hovering inches from his arm. The Hatter shook his wild haired head, backing away from her small hand.

“No, ya cannae be her. She left us a long time ago ya see, not carin' if the pain from her leavin' would drive us mad,” he growled, his brogue getting deep and more angry sounding. His eyes slowly slipped into a blazing orange that made Alice's heart freeze in her chest.

“Hatter...” she whispered, fighting the urge to back away from the man. The air in the room now crackled with danger and rage as his orange orbs met with her brown ones.

“An' ye' yaer still here. Usually tha false ones vanish,” he hissed, beginning to move toward her.

Despite herself, Alice took a step away from the advancing madman. Something in his body language screamed danger and all she wanted to do was run. Her movement caused something to flash in his blazing eyes before he was on her with a speed that left her dizzy. His hands grasped her arms in a bruising grip as his orange gaze flicked over her pale skin. Slowly he lowered his nose close to her golden locks, taking in a deep breath. Biting her lower lip, Alice stood still in his iron grip while he sniffed her. “Yae _are_ Alice,” he snarled, anger seething in his voice as he pulled away from her hair.

Suddenly she was thrown away from him, stumbling back and almost falling on the floor. Steadying herself, Alice edged toward the door while watching the twitching Hatter. His eyes edged into crimson as he watched her for a moment. Then he was pushing her against the wall opposite the door, having ran from the other side of the room in almost an instant. “Yaer alreaday gonna leave mae agin?!” he roared, grasping her pale neck in one hand. Her eyes widened in horror as he began to squeeze.

“H-hatter... please,” she pleaded, tears beginning to well in her eyes.

“Some friend yae are Alice, no' ev'n knowin' mae name,” he spat, his grip tightening harshly.

A sudden banging on the door made him turn his blazing crimson eyes toward the wooden door. “Tarrant! Stop! You don't want to do this! Don't make me send in the guards! Just let Alice go!” came the Queen's worried voice.

“Yae sen' them in an' I swear ta ya she'll nae live ta see anotha day,” he snarled, glaring at the door. Alice, meanwhile, could barely breath through the grip her crazed friend had on her throat. Despite everything that had happened, she still found herself shocked at what the Hatter was doing to her. Despite all the warnings, she never could have imagined her beloved friend ever harming her. Tears of fear and sorrow began to roll down her pale cheeks as she pulled desperately at the fingerless gloved hand on her throat.

His burning crimson gaze turned back to her, pulling his lip up and baring his teeth at her. “Ah'll le' go o' yaer throat if yae promise ya won' leave. Though we all know yae don' keep yaer promises,” he growled, narrowing his eyes and giving her throat another squeeze. Alice made a strangled noise, barely managing a nod as her air was completely cut off. To her horror he squeezed even tighter, pulling his snarling face close to hers for a few seconds.

Then he let go, backing away a couple feet. Alice collapsed on the floor, taking in great whooping breaths and coughing harshly while holding her bruising throat. She looked up at her friend with shock, fear and betrayal in her brown eyes. Something in the back of her mind told her he would have killed her without a thought if she hadn't complied. Yet she couldn't find it in herself to say he wouldn't. Her friend that she knew was gone, with only his madness glaring back at her. “Don' look a'me wi' betrayal. Yae weren' tha one promised somethin' tha' ne'er happened! Yae weren' tha one lef' wi' his madness! Yae weren' tha one going mad from tha loneliness and broken hope tha' yae would come back!” He roared, his hands curling into tight, bloodless fists.

Alice stared at her enraged friend, understanding and guilt rising in her brown eyes. “Hatter, I...” she began, croaking from her sore throat. She was interrupted by being picked up roughly by the arms and being slammed into the padded wall, the Hatter's snarling face inches from hers.

“Tha's no' mae name gel. Yer gonna have ta figure it ou' cause I ain't lettin' ya call me Hatta. Hatta is gone,” he snarled, his hands tightening on her arms painfully.

Alice's mind swam with fear and panic as she tried to remember the man's name. He seemed to grow more and more agitated the longer she went without saying his name. Something tickled faintly at her memory. Something that had happened while he had been strangling her. Vaguely she remembered Queen Mirana's voice calling to Hatter, pleading him to calm down. But she hadn't called him Hatter, she had called him something else. Desperately, Alice tried to remember the name the Queen had used while the Hatter glared at her. “Time's tickin',” he rasped, his hands tightening on her arms.

The name teetered teasingly in the back of her mind, not quite remembered but not quite forgotten. Alice shook as she desperately tried to call the name to the forefront of her mind. It began with a 'T'. Terry? Terrance? Tarrant! She was fairly sure it was Tarrant! “T-tarrant?” she whispered hesitantly, not sure what he would do to her if she got it wrong. To her relief he dropped her arms, backing away to a couple feet.

“Yae prob'ly go' tha' from tha Queen,” he growled.

Alice watched the agitated man warily, switching between rubbing her sore throat and arms. She was fairly sure they would bruise spectacularly tomorrow. His words from earlier still rang in her head, filling her with guilt. “Ha... Tarrant. I'm sorry. I had things I had to do in Overland. Responsibilities to fulfill,” she croaked through her sore throat.

“Sorry... Yae think a sorry's gonna fix this?! So yae had responsibilities! Yae coulda visited! Yae were gone fer two years!” he roared, his crimson eyes flashing dangerously as his orange stained fingers twitched.

The frightened female opened her mouth to answer but quickly closed it. How could she tell him that the reason she didn't visit was because of him? She had been afraid that if she had visited Underland she wouldn't be able to leave again. The Hatter stirred strong feelings inside her, feelings she had never felt before. When she had left Underland, he had looked at her with heartbreak in his eyes. Her heart had responded strongly and she very nearly stayed despite her obligations. As it was, she wasn't even sure if she could leave this time. Would the Hatter let her go home if she wanted to? “You're right. I have no excuse for not coming back,” she whispered, deciding to try to diffuse the situation.

“Ah needed yae. I needed yae s'bad I thought I'd die from it,” he whispered, his voice sad and more gruff. His eyes slowly began to change from the deep crimson to a less dangerous orange as his gaze bored into her.

“E'ery day yae were gone, he kep' lookin' fer ya. Tha hole in his heart was so big, it nearly swallowed us both. Ah faired nae better. Ah longed fer ya, pined fer ya. We din eat fer weeks after yer disappearance. Food seemed naught but ash wi'out ya,” he whispered, his voice shaking. He ran a shaky hand through his wild hair before reaching to the lone table in the room, grabbing the tattered top hat off it and putting it on his head.

“Yae promised yae'd bae back b'fore ah knew it. Two years yae kep' us waitin',” he growled, anger edging back into his voice.

“Tarrant, I....,” she began again, her heart feeling like it was being squeezed in a vice. Everything he said was another knife of guilt in her heart, her eyes filling with tears. She had hurt her dear friend more than she had ever wished to. And for what? All her reasons seemed petty and paltry in the face of the Hatter's hurt, rage and madness that she had caused..

“Nae, there's nothin' can be said fer wha' yae did. Know this, Ah'll no' be lettin' yae outta my sight,” he bit out, stalking closer to her again and pressing her against the wall.

Alice swallowed, trying to not flinch away from the furious man holding her against the padded wall. “Tell tha Queen ta le' me go. We're gonna go back ta mae place. Wha' Ah'm gonna be doin' ta yae will require privacy,” he hissed, his orange orbs burning into her brown ones before he let go of her arms. Almost going weak in the knees from fear from what he was suggesting, Alice tottered to the door on unsteady legs. Yet somewhere, deep in her fear, a small part of her was excited and aroused. Embarrassed at this realization, Alice stopped a few inches away from the door.

Feeling the Hatter watching her closely, Alice didn't even attempt to open the door and decided to try to shout through it. “Queen Mirana? The Hatter,” a warning growl caused a jolt of fear to shoot through her, “Er, I mean Tarrant wishes to take me to his home,” she called in a hoarse voice. Silence greeted her words, seeming to stretch into a tense eternity.

“Alice? Are you alright? We heard slamming. Did he harm you?” came Mirana's concerned voice.

“No, I'm okay! He just threw himself against the walls a few times. We've managed to talk a bit and he'd like to take me to his home for a more private chat,” she lied, wincing at how shaky and raspy her voice was. She could only hope the Queen thought the change was due to seeing Hatter harm himself.

“Is he.... safe?” came the hesitant voice. Alice flinched at the question, unable to stop her gaze from flitting over to the Hatter. His orange eyes watched her closely, he seemed ready to grab her at any moment.

“Oh yes! In fact he looks forward to having tea later,” Alice replied, hating herself for the lie that came from her lips. The Hatter was anything but safe right now. What would happen if any of her other friends approached while he was like this?!

Slowly the door slid open and the Hatter was behind her in a flash. A heavy material was dropped on her shoulders and Alice realized the Hatter had given her his unusually high collared tuxedo coat. Reluctantly, Alice put on the heavy coat and pulling the top of the coat closed. It would be a good way to hide the bruises he had given her and avoid an unnecessary as well as messy scene. Feeling the Hatter forcing her arm to intertwine with his, she forced a smile on her face and stepped out of the room with the dangerously Mad Hatter.

Mirana ran up to them, putting her delicate hands on Alice's arm. Alice felt the Hatter tense beside her, the aura of danger around him thickening. “Are you alright? Why are you wearing his coat?” the oblivious Queen asked, her black eyes scanning Alice for any sign of injury.

“I'm fine your Majesty,” Alice giggled, waving the Queen off; trying to seem lighthearted and happy. To her great relief, Queen Mirana smiled and released her arm. Alice looked at the Hatter who had his hat tilted in such a way that it shaded his blazing orange eyes. He looked straight ahead, his pale face an emotionless mask. As if sensing something off about the Hatter, Mirana began to walk towards him.

“You're so quiet Hatter. Is something wrong?” she asked, concern in her black eyes. She missed the way he stiffened at her calling him Hatter which made Alice thank every God in Heaven.

“He's just tired Majesty. We've had an emotional day and would just like leave to travel to his home,” she rasped, hoping no one noticed just how rough her voice sounded let alone the bruises on her neck that were hidden by the high collar of the borrowed coat she wore. Relief filled her when Queen Mirana smiled and nodded.

“Feel free to go to Hatter's home. I'm sure you two have much to discuss. Before you go, let me return these,” she whispered, walking forward and holding out a large package. Hatter reached forward with the hand that wasn't holding Alice's arm, opening the package to reveal something that made Alice's blood run cold. Inside were several very sharp looking throwing knives.

In a flash the knives disappeared, then the Hatter began to walk; tugging Alice along with him. Concern flashed in Mirana's eyes, noticing how pale Alice had gone at the sight of the knives. The way the Hatter was acting was also quite peculiar. Sensing something was terribly wrong, the Queen followed behind them. “Alice?” she questioned as she walked behind the swiftly moving couple, concern in her black eyes.

“I'm fine Highness, really!” Alice called, turning to wave a falsely cheerful wave at the monarch as she was pulled along.

Mirana stopped, standing in the middle of a long hall with concern creasing her pale brow. A wide toothy grin appeared over her right shoulder followed by two, huge green eyes. “Keep an eye on things Chessur. If he tries to kill her, you know what to do,” she whispered a grim look in her eyes. The large grin turned into an expression of deep sadness.

“I understand,” he whispered before disappearing again. Mirana watched the couple until they were entirely out of sight, a deep fear for Alice filling her.


	3. Burning Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning!!!: Blood Play, Knife play, biting, slight non-con.

Desperately trying to keep up, Alice stumbled while she trotted beside the almost running Hatter. Although she couldn't see his eyes due to his hat hiding them, she knew they were still that intense orange from before. His jaw was set and a muscle ticked occasionally in the taut cheek. With a hard yank, he pulled her into the courtyards; almost making her fall on the small stairway leading down. Trying mightily not to fall, she teetered down the stairs at a much too fast pace. Once her feet hit the white marble of the courtyard the ground began to shake. “Oh Bandy, not now,” she whispered, her eyes going wide with fear.

Hatter released her hand, tilting his hat back so his burning eyes were fully visible to the fast approaching Bandersnatch. “Don't hurt him!” Alice pleaded desperately, pulling on his green silk shirt sleeve. He only narrowed his eyes before palming one of his throwing knives. The huge creature came skidding to a stop only a few feet from them, almost seeming to sense that something was wrong. The huge canine-like creature bristled at the Hatter, his clouded blue eyes glaring at the man. The Hatter snarled at the beast, baring his teeth and stepping towards the creature.

The giant Bandersnatch growled low in its throat as the Hatter got closer. The Hatter began spewing harsh Outlandish at the beast, his violently orange eyes fixed on the monster. To Alice's amazement the beast's growls slowly quieted and Bandy even lowered himself to the ground. The striped beast rolled on his back, whimpering submissively. The hatter said more in Outlandish, using a less angry tone but still sounding firm. Bandy rolled back over in response, staying down to allow them to get on.

Before Alice could even ask what was going on, she found herself being picked up by the Hatter. The muscle in his jaw still ticking, he leapt onto the furry back of the Bandersnatch in one bound. Then the beast was running while the Hatter held her tight against him, his blazing eyes fixed on the blurred landscape. Alice also found herself staring ahead, a deep dread filling her. What was the madman holding her going to do with her once he got her to his home? From the looks of him it couldn't be good.

All too soon the huge beast beneath them skidded to a stop in a huge clearing. All around were burnt out husks of abandoned buildings as well as some crumbling stone towers. Bandy lowered himself, allowing the fuming Hatter to alight with Alice. Once on the ground, her once friend dumped her on the ground unceremoniously; not even offering his orange stained hand to help her up. Pushing against the dense, long grass, Alice managed to push herself to her feet. She didn't have much chance to steady herself as the Hatter grabbed her hand, yanking her after him as he stalked further into what used to be a town.

He pulled her past the burned out buildings and down an old road that was overgrown with many variants of plant life. Some of them even cheerfully greeted the Hatter as he strode past, dragging her behind him. Ignoring the greetings of the various flowers and trees around him, he pulled her forward until they reached the door of a rather ramshackle looking house. The roof sagged in places and didn't seem to sit on the building quite right. The walls of the house itself were deeply cracked and warped. Several windows were also broken. The wooden door hung drunkenly on its hinges, revealing a dark interior. Something about the house spoke of sadness, neglect and tragedy.

With a quiet growl the Hatter yanked her forward again, pulling her roughly into the house. The inside was much different than the dilapidated exterior. On the inside there was no sign of the damage the outside presented. It was well lit and homey, filled with colorful furniture. There were several rooms attached to the main room and a small set of stairs leading to a second floor. Without ceremony, the Hatter pulled her up the crooked steps and threw her into a bedroom before following her; shutting the door behind him. Alice jumped when she heard the door lock, trying to keep the panic welling inside of her under control. The Hatter's eyes almost glowed as he stalked toward her, his orange eyes fixed on her. “Ha... Tarrant...,” she whispered, fighting the urge to back away.

“Yaer mine naow and Ah'm gonna show you just how much yae've hurt us. Just how much we needed yae,” he growled, circling around her like a predator assessing its prey. Alice stood her ground, trying hard not to give away just how frightened she was. Her crazed friend smirked at her before moving to the front of her, grabbing fistfuls of her shirt and ripping it off her. Alice gasped at the sudden derobing, blushing a bit but not trying to cover her exposed flesh. She had an idea that if she tried, the Hatter would punish her.

“Lovelay,” he murmured almost reverently, cupping her wrapping covered right breast.

Suddenly he had a throwing knife in his hand, cutting through the binding on her breasts. Her breasts were the perfect size, soft, white and tipped with pink nipples that were beginning to erect in the cold. The Hatter took in a ragged breath, brushing an orange stained thumb over a taut nipple. Alice couldn't help the small moan that left her lips at the action, her face going bright red with embarrassment. The Hatter growled low in his throat before throwing her unceremoniously onto the bed. “Don' begin t'think this is fer yaer pleasure. Nae, this is gonna hurt. Ah want yae t'feel even half the pain Ah've felt fer these past few years,” he growled, pulling off his fingerless gloves.

Alice's eyes went as wide as saucers at the declaration as well as the fact the Hatter was now beginning to undress in front of her. She couldn't stop her eyes from roaming over him as he pulled off his green silk shirt. He was lithe with light muscle tone and no hair on his pale chest. He prowled on top of her, baring his teeth at her. Suddenly there was something sharp under her chin, forcing it up. Alice's eyes widened as she realized it was the deadly throwing knife.

Tears began to seep from her brown eyes as fear began to flood her senses. The edge to the knife was just a breath away from cutting her throat. The crazed man lowered his face to her ear, his moist breath caressing the shell of her ear. “Open yaer legs yae slurvish slurim,” he growled. A jolt of fear shot through her as she complied to his wishes, slowly spreading her legs. Yet buried under that fear there was a thread of excitement that left her more than a little afraid of herself.

“Good gel,” he purred, pressing a hot kiss to her neck before positioning his half clothed body between her pants covered legs. With a soft growl against her neck he rubbed his still clothed erection against her covered core. Despite herself, Alice's body arched as she let out a soft whimper.

The crazed Hatter pulled back removing the blade from her throat, his orange eyes burning into her. “Yae want mae,” he whispered, a slight edge of wonder slipping into his voice. His eyes flickered briefly back to green for just a second before returning to the heated orange.

“Nae matter. That won' change a thing,” he snarled, pulling his purple pants off. Alice's shocked brown eyes immediately flew to his erection. It was seven inches long, uncircumcised and standing proudly from a forest of bright orange pubes. A small bead of whitish fluid oozed from the opening in the tip.

The unfastening and yanking off of her pants and underwear brought her out of her musings. She couldn't help but try to curl up to try to hide her suddenly exposed body, earning a vicious growl from the Hatter. She found herself pinned with her thin arms held above her head in a crushing grip. A sudden, burning pain brought her attention to a small cut the Hatter had just made in her porcelain skin. With horrified eyes, she watched as he licked up the small trickle of blood.

An unexpected jolt of arousal shot through her at the action, making her shudder with want as well as horror. What was wrong with her?! This shouldn't be turning her on! Right? A deep chuckle broke her thoughts, bringing her attention to the Hatter's blazing orange eyes. “I kin smell yaer want mah lil' slurim,” he purred, pressing the tip of his member against her surprisingly wet entrance. Another burning pain wrenched an unwanted moan from her lips as he cut her again, lapping at the blood with his hot tongue.

“Yaer blood tastes so sweet mah slurim,” he groaned, cutting her breast shallowly and lapping at the cut. Alice shuddered at the cuts, an odd heat beginning to coil in her gut. Each new cut brought a new moan from her lips as the heat tightened inside her.

Suddenly he was biting into a sensitive nipple, forcing a strangled scream of pain from her lips. Blood trickled from the wound as he sucked on it, while she shuddered from pain as well as rising arousal. She found herself gasping the man's name, begging for more. Through her haze of lust she idly wondered if her wanting this made her a monster.

The Hatter removed his teeth from her still oozing wound, licking his blood covered lips. Crimson had begun to edge into his vision as his pale chest heaved. His gloved hands grasped her pale hips, pulling them apart and lifting them as he positioned his throbbing member at her weeping entrance. “Heaven help yae if yae aren' intact,” he hissed, rubbing his oozing tip against her moist lips.

“Ha- Tarrant! Please! Not like this!” she whispered, tears rolling down her pale cheeks. She had so many fantasies about her first time, all of them with the Hatter. Each of them had been romantic and loving, nothing like what was happening now.

“Ah'll no' be denied wha's mine,” he snarled, shoving the blade under her chin. His burning eyes fixed firmly on her brown eyes, sliding his heated flesh into her tight core. He stopped just short of breaking through her thin barrier.

“Tarrant please!” she pleaded, not struggling for fear of the sharp blade on her throat.

The Hatter stiffened for a moment before thrusting forward, taking the gift she would have given him under different circumstances. All motion stopped as pained tears slid from Alice's shut eyes. A soft brush under her eyes made her snap her eyes open and the sight that greeted her made her gasp. The Hatter, her Hatter, stared at her sadly through vibrant green eyes. “Oh Alice what have I done,” he whispered, pain filling his voice as he pulled his now flaccid member from her.

The knife was thrown away as the Hatter quickly dressed himself, tossing her her pants and bloomers. “I'll go get you a shirt and some chest binding,” the now sane hatter lisped quietly, avoiding looking at her. Alice pulled the covers of the bed up to her chin to cover herself, pained tears still slipping down her cheeks. The orange haired hatter scampered out of the room, his gaze firmly fixed on the wooden floor.

Suddenly alone, the recent events finally hit Alice like a ton of bricks. She broke down into harsh sobs, trying to ignore the throbbing from her recently taken virginity. Sorrow as well as fear filled her. Would the Hatter slip back into that other persona? Could she ever fully be safe with him again? Did she deserve this for making him like this in the first place? The questions whirling in her head made her sick to her very soul as she continued to sob. It wasn't just for her lost virginity that she cried but also for her friend. Knowing the Hatter, this had to have hurt him deeply.

The soft feeling of clothes being draped over her blanket covered knees startled her, making her raise her tear covered face. The Hatter flinched back from her pain filled gaze, looking as if he had been punched in the stomach. “Oh Alice,” he whispered, sorrow and guilt filling his features. His fingerless gloved hands twitched as if he wanted to comfort her. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Alice picked up the shirt; watching as her once friend turned his back to give her privacy. With shaky hands, she bound her breasts, wincing at the slightly bleeding bite wound on her breast.

“Ha- Tarr... I... need you to look at something,” she whispered, avoiding looking at him.

“My real name is Tarrant Alice but the name has soured for me. Just call me Hatter please. What do you need me to look at,” he whispered, his voice oddly thick.

“Y-you... well... you bit me. Pretty bad,” she whispered, still unable to look at him.

The purple clad man drew in a hiss of breath as he turned slowly to face her. Blushing, Alice uncovered her wounded right breast. This drew another disturbed hiss from the Hatter. “I'll get some supplies,” he replied softly before he went into the attached bathroom. Alice kept her gaze fixed on the purple blanket that puddled in her lap, her hands twitching sporadically. What would happen now? She knew the Hatter hadn't been himself when he had taken her virginity. Could she forgive him for it? As she looked up to see the concerned, guilt ridden man coming back in with his arms full of medical supplies she found that she could. This was her friend, her friend that wanted to fix what his madness had done to her.

The shaking man sat as close to her as he dared, his green eyes fixed on the oozing wound around her areola. With achingly gentle, orange stained hands, the milliner grasped her wounded breast and began to wipe the blood away with a wet cloth. Alice drew in a hiss of pain through clenched teeth, unable to stop a quiet whimper from escaping her lips. “I'm so sorry for hurting you more Alice. It'll be over soon,” came a quiet, tear-filled lisp.

Once the wound was cleaned of blood, the Hatter poured some odd fluid on another cloth. “This'll sting a bit,” he warned apologetically, waiting for her permission to continue.

“O-okay,” she whispered, blushing a bit more. How sad and guilty he sounded made her want to wrap him in a hug. She wanted to assure him that she forgave him. Before she could open her mouth to say just that, he gently pressed the fluid soaked cloth onto her wound. A shock of pain jolts from the cloth, making her bite her lip in agony.

“It'll help keep it from getting infected,” he murmured, his thumb brushing her uninjured flesh as if in apology.

“Th-thank you,” she replied quietly.

“Yae shouldn' bae thankin' mae,” came a soft brogue, making a prickle of fear scamper up her spine.

“Donnae fear. I willnae harm yae agin. I le' anger cloud mae,” came the whispered brogue. Despite the fear thumping in her chest, Alice found herself reaching for the distraught sounding man. Her small, pale hand rested in his wild orange locks gently.

Startled, the Hatter's head shot up; his eyes fading from burning orange to feral green. “Alice?” he lisped unsurely, his hand twitching on the cloth on her wound.

“I forgive you Hatter. Can you forgive me for breaking you to that point?” she whispered, locking her eyes with his.

Gently, almost reverently, he grasped the hand on his head; bringing it down to cup his pale cheek. “Of course Alice. I promise I won't abuse this second chance,” he vowed softly, a rim of orange surrounding his eyes to let her know his other half was making the same vow. Alice smiled softly, pulling her hand from his gentle grip. Then he returned to dressing her wound, making small noises of displeasure. Once the wound had been fully dressed the Hatter stood to his feet, looking as if he had no idea what to do next.

“I should go before I do anything else,” he whispered in an unsteady voice, clenching and unclenching his hands.

“Y-you don't have to,” came her whispered reply, to the surprise of them both.

“I do lass. We've tasted yaer blood. It'll be much harder ta control the madness aroun' yae. I already crave anotha taste o'ya,” came a hissed brogue as he focused his gaze on the floorboards, his hands now clenched in tight fists.

Alice felt a thrill of fear as well as a small wave of arousal rush through her. The Hatter's nostril's flared as he raised his head with closed eyes. He seemed to be savoring an errant scent in the air. With a bright blush, Alice realized it must be her. His bruised looking eyelids shot open, revealing blazing orange eyes edging on becoming crimson. The air in the room snapped with danger and lust as the now crazed man began to stalk towards her.

She sucked in a shuddering breath as he crawled over top of her for the second time that day, his sunset eyes burning into her. With a soft growl he burrowed his nose into the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply. Gently, he licked her neck where her pulse was racing, letting out a soft purr with each slow, agonizing pass of his heated tongue. Alice found herself moaning softly in response, her small hands coming to rest on top of his jacket covered back. This earned a growl of appreciation as well as a gentle nip on her neck.

Alice arched up, moaning a bit louder; her blunt nails scratching for purchase on the rough material of his jacket. The Hatter growled deeper, wrapping his arms around her and holding her small body close. He grazed her neck gently with his sharp teeth, occasionally nipping gently. Each nip drew a moan from Alice as she felt a familiar warmth beginning to tighten in her womb again. “Aliiiiice,” the Hatter hissed against her neck.

Suddenly his fingers were twitching on her back and he was laying her down gently. His chest was heaving as his eyes cycled from the sunset color to orange to green over and over. His entire body shook uncontrollably as he desperately tried to regain control. Concern all over her face, Alice sat up to reach for her struggling friend. “Nae gel! If yae touch mae righ' now there'll be nae stoppin',” he growled, his voice shaking.

“What if I don't want you to stop?” she found herself purring, to her mortification. To her further embarrassment she found the statement to be true. Something inside her body didn't want the Hatter to stop now, no matter how much he would hurt her.

The distraught milliner twitched at her words, his eyes edging almost fully to crimson for a few seconds. “D-donnae say such things,” he pleaded in a rough brogue, every muscle in his body shaking, “Yae donnae know wha' Ah'll do ta yae.”

“I don't care Hatter. I've spent years wanting your touch, dreaming of making love to you,” she purred, letting her lust for the man before her cloud her mind. Years of frustration, of yearning were finally coming to a head.

Suddenly he was on top of her, his mouth capturing hers in a bruising kiss. His hands were all over her, grasping her breasts and squeezing the uninjured one gently. Panting harshly as he broke the kiss, the now crimson eyed man pulled her into a sitting position. Then he ripped off her shirt again, revealing her freshly bound breasts. Growling low in his throat, the Hatter slid a throwing knife under the material; deftly cutting it off.

Alice blushed, avoiding his burning gaze as his crimson eyes raked possessively over her form. A firm hand under her chin turned her head to face him as his eyes met hers. “Yaer lovelay. Nevar bae ashamed o'yaer body mae gel, mae Alice,” he purred before capturing her lips in another heated kiss. His tongue gently licked at her lips, asking for entrance. Alice opened her mouth allowing his tongue to plunge into her mouth, moaning as his tongue caressed hers lovingly.

A brush of a rough thumb on her unbandaged nipple drew a gasp from Alice, her hands clenching in his jacket. Chuckling into her mouth, he brushed the sensitive flesh again; dragging a loud moan from her. “H-hatter,” she gasped, her body feeling oddly hot and tingly. The coil of heat was unbearably tight within her womb and she was unsure of how to satisfy to strange urges she felt.

“Mmmm Alice,” he murmured softly against her lips before breaking the kiss. To her disappointment he removed his hands from her as he sat up. Afraid he was going to stop, she found whimpered pleas coming from her lips as she reached for him.

“Please don't stop! I want this! Please,” she keened, desperation edging into her voice. Two gentle fingers on her lips stopped her pleas as his burning crimson eyes bored into hers.

"Donnae mistake mae, my gel. Ah'll no' bae stoppin'. Ah'm jest removin' some o'mae clothes. Now nae more beggin' or Ah'll nae last long enough ta enjoy yae,” he growled, his voice thick with lust.

Alice found herself licking his fingertips gently, drawing a deep growl from the Hatter. Gently, she took the tip of one of his slender, mercury stained fingers into her mouth and began to suck. The Hatter groaned, his free hand fumbling with his jacket buttons while her soft tongue wrapped around his index finger. Reluctantly, he pulled the appendage from her mouth with a pop; a shudder running through his frame. “Mae Alice, yae will be the death o'mae,” he growled, his voice thick with lust as he removed his jacket and shirt.

While he fumbled with his purple pants, Alice found herself removing her own pants and bloomers. Shyly, she pulled them off; fighting the urge to shield herself from his burning gaze. His gaze almost felt like fire on her skin as his gaze raked over her form. “Like an angel,” he purred, tilting her chin up and giving her a soft kiss. Now nude, he pressed the head of his member against her slick folds and rubbed. Both groaned in unison, Alice's small hands scratching his back with her blunt nails. His breathing roughened as the kiss became deeper, his hand moving from her chin to cup her cheek. Again he rubbed her slick core with the head of his arousal.

Moaning into his mouth, Alice arched up and tried to press herself onto his throbbing manhood. Her body fairly screamed for something, anything to happen. The Hatter growled against her lips, pulling his hips back so his member was no longer against her slit. “Don' bae naughty now Alice. I want ta take mah time wi' yae,” he admonished in a rough voice, his blazing eyes locking with hers.

“Oh please!” she whimpered, arching her body into his heat; her nails raking down his back. The Hatter shuddered against her, growling low in his throat.

“Alice, Ah'm warnin' yae, donnae do that agin,” he hissed, resting his lips against her racing pulse. Alice whimpered in response but stilled, panting loudly as the Hatter rested the head of his member against her opening again.

She felt on the edge of something powerful, her whole body tingled as each touch set her nerves on fire. Her body ached and felt unbearably empty. She wanted something, something she wasn't familiar with but knew she would die without. Pleas for him to end this pleasurable suffering teetered on her lips as he nibbled her neck while rubbing himself along her weeping entrance. His hands moved from her sides to her legs as he lifted and separated them.

Sitting up, the Hatter looked down at her with burgundy eyes; pressing the head of himself slightly into her before stopping. He looked at her, as if waiting for permission. Alice whimpered in response, managing a weak nod as her chest heaved. Slowly he slid into her, drawing a gasp of pain as well as pleasure from Alice's lips. He stilled inside of her, panting against her neck as he waited for her to adjust.

After a few moments Alice whimpered and arched into him, desperate for him to move. She got her wish as he began a slow, gentle rhythm. The Hatter sat up slightly holding her hips with one hand and a throwing knife in the other. A thrill of fear shot through her fog of arousal as her eyes caught the glint of the blade. She felt a slight burn as he made a fresh wound in her chest, licking the wounded flesh with his hot tongue. Stars filled Alice's vision as a wholly unexpected rush of arousal came from the action.

The Hatter grunted against her skin, his thrusts becoming sporadic for a few seconds before normalizing again. Another burning pain licked across her flesh as he opened another wound, licking at it slowly. Alice moaned loudly arching into the thrusting milliner, her nails raking trails of shallow cuts down his back. Stiffening and stilling for a few seconds, he rested his mouth against her neck as he struggled with himself. “Ah won' bae able ta last mae Alice,” he whispered, almost apologetically.

Then he began thrusting anew, his strokes having an almost desperate quality. His breath fanned hotly over her neck as he panted against it. Alice, meanwhile, felt as if her whole body was on fire. The heat inside her was about to snap and she found herself afraid of what was coming. With a moan that was almost a scream Alice called out, “Tarrant!” as her world exploded.

As her walls clenched around him, the Hatter simply found it too much. As she screamed his name, he bit into her neck, _hard_. Then he went stiff as he spilled his seed into her pulsing passage. Licking the blood from the wound on her neck, the Hatter rolled rest beside her. The wound on her neck was already fading to his amazement. Was it possible? Shaking himself, the Hatter came back to himself as he held a sleeping Alice to him. Could she really be?


	4. Into Shadow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning!!!: Graphic Character Death. Gore.

That speech impediment was going to drive him mad! It was all he could do to not look for the nearest boulder to bash her over-sized head in with. All that would result in was him being chained to a rotting corpse, a prospect that was beginning to sound more appealing each day that passed. Damn that Mirana for banishing him to these wastelands to forever be with this annoying creature. Raising his black haired head, he glared at the ranting woman beside him with his one good eye. He had to find a way to break these chains. The red-headed abomination of nature turned to smile unsurely up at him.

It had been a hard fought battle just to get her to shut up about his attempt at her life. He still wasn't sure how he got her to buy the lame story he had come up with. He had told her it had merely been for fear of Iracebeth being alone for the rest of her life. Maybe it had been the prospect of being truly alone had made her believe it. Either way he had been glad when her screechings on the subject had faded.

Now they had been renewed but were now about Mirana and how the throne rightfully belonged to Iracebeth. For months she had spoken of little else, occasionally asking his opinion. As the months wore into years, Stayne felt his hate for her turn into an outright murderous rage. He would take great pleasure in hearing her caterwaulings end in a gurgling choke as he slit her throat. Maybe the weight of her fat head would behead her if he cut deep enough. The image brought a malicious smile to his pale, scarred face. A sight that wasn't missed by the former Red Queen. “Stayne?” she asked in a small, uncharacteristically timid voice.

The former Knave of Hearts whirled to face her, the sun glinting off the metallic heart that covered the socket where his eye once was. Forcing a friendly, reassuring smile, he took her small, pale hands in his. “I was just imagining that bitch's pretty head on a pike in front of your palace,” he purred, rubbing her hand with his black leather gloved hands. A smile appeared on Iracebeth's abnormally large features as she nodded. Stayne couldn't help but wonder how her neck didn't snap from the weight.

A sudden blue glint in the distance drew his attention. Standing to his feet, the former Knave shielded his one eye to try to make out what it was. Iracebeth stood beside him, looking at him unsurely. “What is it Stayne?” she asked, her ruby lips pursed in concern.

“I don't know. Come, I must check it out,” he responded, beginning to walk towards the glint. If she didn't follow willingly, he would have no problem dragging her behind him. She followed close behind, making that unnecessary.

As they came closer to the object it appeared to be a bottle full of glowing, blue smoke that swirled inside it. Stayne knelt beside the large bottle, his black eye glittering in wonder. With a shaky, gloved hand, he reached forward and touched the glass. “Stayne, don't! If that's what I think it is, it'll bwing nothing but twouble,” Iracebeth whispered, grasping tightly to the black leather sleeve of his coat. Stayne yanked his arm out of her grasp, picking up the bottle and thumbing the round, glass stopper.

“And yet it can solve so many of my problems,” he whispered, holding it reverently. With a flick of his thumb, he uncorked the bottle. A flood of blue, glowing smoke poured out of the bottle, forming into a torso of a demonic looking humanoid. It had long, pointed ears, a furrowed brow, two fangs protruding from its lower lip and glowing blue skin. The air around it was filled with a sickly feeling of pure evil.

“What do you wish of me, my master?” asked a growling, inhuman voice inside Stayne's head. The evil presence poking into his head filled him with a burning pain but he gritted his teeth, ignoring it.

“Break these chains oh mighty Djinn,” he whispered.

The loathsome creature pointed a clawed finger at the metal links. Then they were gone and Iracebeth was hanging off of him. She kissed his cheek with a disgusting smack. Hate surging through him, he threw her off him; turning to glare at her. The silly fool sat on the ground, an astonished look on her huge face. “Stayne... what?” she asked, tears rolling down her pale cheeks. The former Knave merely bared his teeth at her, looking for the nearest boulder.

Picking up the biggest one he could heft into the air, he stalked toward the frightened ex-monarch. She scrambled away from him, scooting herself along the pebble strewn, deeply cracked ground. He towered over her, the boulder lifted over his head; a murderous glint in his one good eye. “Goodbye Iracebeth,” he snarled, throwing the rock down on her large head with all the force he could muster.

There was a sickening crunching noise as the boulder utterly destroyed her over-sized head, a huge surge of blood splashing onto Stayne. Blood, bits of skull and brain matter flowed in a torrent from her now ruined head. Her blood spattered, pale hands twitched in the air for a few moments before they stilled. Panting and straightening his blood coated jacket, he gestured to the stiffening body. “Help yourself as reward for my wish, mighty Djinn,” he offered, smirking slightly.

A few minutes later all sign of blood had been cleaned, including the blood that coated the former Knave. The Djinn had turned a deep red color and was glowing red. It stared down at its new master with an odd approval. Not many beings knew the proper rituals of summoning a Djinn, yet this man seemed to know each step. “How may I serve you master,” he rumbled out loud, respecting his new master too much to resume telepathy.

“We are going to Underland. We're about to shake things up my friend,” he responded, letting the Djinn probe his mind. He let the evil being see all the plans he had in store for Underland.

“As you wish, master,” the thing hissed, forming a cloud of smoke around the black clad man. A cruel smile curled his lips as he disappeared.

The Hatter awoke with his nose burrowed in Alice's soft neck. As he pulled back to look at her, his eyes saw a strange red mark on her neck where he had bitten her last night. Holding his breath, his heart pounding in his chest, he reached forward and brushed the mark with a gentle, orange stained index finger. Alice moaned softly, shifting into the touch and smiling. The wild haired man's eyes widened in wonder. This was supposed to be impossible! She showed all signs of being his true soul mate, something that no one in Underland has found in thousands of years.

If his hunch was true the red mark would become a small, purple top hat, his family mark. The mark would connect them on almost all levels, emotional as well as physical. If she was in need of help, he would be able to feel her pain through the connection. A small smile graced his bright red lips as an orange ring appeared around the green iris of his eyes. Gently, he kissed the small red mark; earning another soft moan.

The orange in his eyes deepened for a moment as he considered having a little Alice for his breakfast. Shaking his head to clear such thoughts, he settled for giving her pale cheek a gentle kiss. “My Alice,” he whispered, smiling gently.

“Mmmm Tarrant,” she sighed as her brown eyes opened slowly.

“Just Hatter please Alice,” he replied gently, kissing her lovingly.

Before she could fully respond to the kiss, her Hatter pulled away; as if noticing their mutual state of undress. A blush coloring both their cheeks, Hatter rushed to get dressed and Alice ducked under the sheets. Pulling on another purple tux, the wild haired man put on his top hat and practically ran from the room. Suppressing an embarrassed giggle, Alice began to pull on her own clothes.

Once she was dressed, she came downstairs a bit timidly; peeking down the stairs to see where the Hatter was. Catching a glimpse of purple coat tails in the kitchen to the left of the stairs, Alice cautiously came down and turned to the left. She stood in the doorway to the kitchen, watching the Hatter with a half amused, half confused look as he.... made breakfast? Alice wasn't sure what to call what he was doing. He had all the bowls, plates, silverware and ingredients lined up on the counter and was drilling them in a deep brogue like a Drill Sergeant. “Naow my gud men, Ah am relyin' on yae ta make a delicious breakfast! Git to et!” he growled, straightening and fixing the items with a stern glare.

To her surprise the items sprang to life, beginning to make breakfast. Nodding, the Hatter turned; startling when he saw her. “A-alice! Good morning!” he greeted, starting out in a brogue but fading into his normal lisp.

“Mornin' Hatter,” she chirped, a faint giggle to her voice as her cerulean gaze fixed on the moving utensils and dishware. From the looks of it, breakfast would be something that greatly resembled Overland bacon and eggs. Just the smell of what looked like bacon made her stomach growl hungrily. The mystery meat smelled a lot like bacon but had a more maple syrup and cinnamon smell.

“Breakfast will be ready in a blink m'dear! Have a seat and I'll make us some tea!” the purple clad male urged, gesturing wildly to a lone table with two chairs. Smiling at her cheerful companion, Alice sat in one of the chairs to watch him ready their tea.

The wild haired milliner moved about the kitchen with a sort of wild grace, flinging things here and there and yet never dropping one thing. After he had gathered the teapot and cups, he placed his bright red lips near the lid of the kettle, opened it with a half gloved hand and began to whisper into the porcelain object. After a few seconds of this, the pot began to steam from the nozzle and a grin appeared on the Hatter's pale face. Then, with a bow and a flourish, he placed two cups and the steaming kettle in the middle of the table.

Looking up at him with some astonishment, Alice reached for the teapot; only to have it spring to its feet and pour some amber fluid into her cup. Thanking the pot with a surprised voice, the blonde reached forward and took a small sip. “It's delicious! Thank you!” she exclaimed happily, her blue gaze meeting the Hatter's green one as she smiled at him.

“Oh I am so glad! This old pot's been in the family for years and when I told it that it would serving you, well the old dear got a bit nervous,” her friend tittered in response, plopping himself in the chair opposite of her and grinning at her widely.

With how relaxed and at ease they both seemed to feel, Alice found she could easily forget what had happened just the day before. Even though only a few hours had passed, she found herself completely comfortable around her dear friend. Despite what had happened, his madness had shown no real intent to harm her after. In fact, it seemed that just the knowledge that he had stolen her virginity had subdued him a bit. A fact that Alice still wasn't sure if she was relieved about or disappointed.

Thankfully, the silence was broken by the skillets, plates and silverware clambering their way over to them. Under the young woman's amused gaze, the kitchenware served them both equal portions of food; then hopped off the table to clean themselves. “Curiouser and curiouser,” she whispered, unconsciously repeating something she had oft said during her first visit. The small, quiet statement had an odd effect on the Hatter, making him jolt in place as if electrified.

A faint rim of orange surrounding his green irises, the haberdasher took a deep breath and released it in a shaky exhalation. “Ye best be outdoors fer awhile,” he sighed, getting to his feet unsteadily. Her unknowing statement brought back welcome memories of her first time taking tea in his gardens. She had been so innocent, yet so very muchy! So young to be so very muchy! He had felt an instant need to protect her during her journey through the dangerous land. He had even followed her for much of it, ready to protect her if she had need.

Yes, at one time he had been her protector. Now… no, he couldn't think about what he had done. What he had stolen. How badly he had wanted to hurt her. How badly he wanted to taste her blood on his tongue this very moment. The memory of her once innocence had inflamed his hunger, making his madness a hard thing to control. Yes, Alice must go outside now; before _he_ comes again. Before _he_ begins cutting into Alice's white flesh again. Please go outside Alice!

Watching her friend spasming in place, the quiet female fought a vicious battle within herself. A part of her deeply wished to stay to help the Hatter through whatever was happening but another part wanted to obey him and flee for the time being. Nibbling her lower lip, the young woman simply turned and left the house. She would take the opportunity to look around the yard and give Hatter some much needed space.

Once she was outside, the warm sun hit her pale skin like a kiss and made her sigh in contentment. Closing her blue eyes and tipping her head back, the female spread her arms open as wide as she could; taking a deep breath of the sweet air around her. Then, allowing her pale arms to fall to her sides, the pants wearing woman made her way to a small, overgrown garden that was nestled on the left of the house. The weeds and withered vegetable plants greeted her with a sort of tired enthusiasm, waving their pitiful branches at her as she got near. Smiling at the ill-tended plot, the once trades-woman rolled up her sleeves and began to work.

After a few hours of hard work, Alice sat back and regarded her work with a critical eye; swiping an arm across her semi-muddy brow. Already the garden looked a lot better, most of the weeds having been coaxed to leave and the rows encouraged to be straight. She had even begun planting new fruits and vegetables, being careful to listen to where the seeds wanted to be planted. Heaving a happy sigh, the tired female got to her feet to look for a water pump. Thankfully there was one right next to the garden, making it easy for her to water her new plants.

Once satisfied with her project, the former champion stepped back to look over the small plot as a whole. It looked rather bare right now but she could easily imagine the happy plant life that would begin to grow. Smiling at the thought, the blonde whirled to go back into the house; only to bump into a hard, unmoving figure. “Oh, excuse me!” she gasped, looking up to see who or what she had bumped into. A frightened gasp left her lips as she saw just who it was.

There, glaring down at her with a snarl on his pale face, was Stayne. “Hello Um. It has been a long time,” he growled, glaring down at her as a red figure floated behind him. Focusing her blue gaze on the red creature that was behind his right shoulder, Alice never saw the knave lift his gauntlet clad fist and bring it down on her head. The last thing she was aware of was her world exploding into painful stars before everything went black.

Hatter came back to himself as the faint scent of something metallic reached his nose. That smelled like blood and not just any blood. That smelled like Alice blood! With a gasp that sounded like a snarl, the crazed milliner rushed out of the house; only to find no Alice and a small puddle of blood on the ground. All color leeched out of the world around him as his focus shifted to the crimson liquid, a low, rumbling sound ripping from his chest as he began to stalk forward.

His entire, suit clad body jerked and twitched as if operated by a drunken puppeteer; one thin arm jittering forward to touch the thick substance. As his fingertip came into contact with the fluid, his body jolted roughly as another low snarl left him. Crimson now filled his eyes as he brought his blood covered finger up to his lips and snaked out his tongue.

His burning gaze closing briefly as he tasted the liquid, another low growl left him as he shot to his feet. His burning gaze narrowed, Tarrant glared down the road that stretched away from his cottage. “Stayne, if ya harm mae Alice; Ah'll make yer life a livin' hell,” he snarled before running off in the direction of Mamoreal. There was only one person who could help him save his Alice and that was Mirana. There was no doubt in his mind the White Queen would help but he still felt nervous meeting with her so soon after his confinement. With his madness so blaringly obvious, would she even hear him out? Or would she merely toss him back into his cell until the more timid Hatter came back.

“Hatter, I saw what happened! You go after the rogue and I will go inform her majesty of what happened,” came a smooth purr from beside his left ear, Chessur's unusually somber face floating beside him.

“Tarrant fer naow ya dratted creature. Thank ya fer bein' useful fer once in yer blasted life,” the haberdasher snarled, his half gloved hands curling into fists as he instantly diverted down the trail of Stayne and Alice. Despite his venom towards the feline, he was honestly grateful for the beast's help. For now, he could avoid the Queen and track down Stayne. All he could hope was that he didn't hurt her. If the knave dared to… Just the thought of it filled him with a deadly rage and he found his throwing knives in his hands.

Yes, if the Knave of Hearts dared to touch his Alice, he would kill him. They would find his headless body pinned to the tallest tree in Underland as an example. A low growl leaving him, the Outlander halted for a moment and crouched to the ground. Inhaling close to the loose soil, the crazed male closed his eyes and examined the scent. The traitor had come by here recently and seemed to be purposely leaving a trail behind. Narrowing his burning eyes in suspicion, the wild haired man skittered off the faint road and into the trees. No matter how eager he was to save Alice, it wouldn't do to fall into whatever trap the knave had set.

Gritting his teeth in irritation, Tarrant began picking his way through the forest; cautiously peeking around trees as he made his way forward. The slowness of his progress rankled him when he didn't know if Alice was safe and unhurt. Stayne had already spilled her precious blood, an unforgivable sin in his eyes. Growling softly to himself, Tarrant continued to creep forward until he reached the outskirts of what looked to be a camp. Crouching low to the ground, the cautious haberdasher slowly crept forward until he could see just what was going on. “Wait until Mirana comes,” came a quiet hiss by his ear as Chessur faintly materialized by the right side of his head.

“I have informed her of what happened and she is sending out troops to our position. I sense dark magic, Tarrant. It is best we wait,” the striped feline continued, a worried look on his large, furry face. The orange haired hatter opened his mouth to respond when they were interrupted by a sharp scream.

Both whipped their heads toward the camp just in time to see Stayne shoving a bound Alice out of a tent before following behind her. A vicious growl left the Outlander as it took everything within him not to rush forward and rip his Alice from the slurvish arzi! “Wait just a bit Tarrant!” Chessur urged quietly, his luminous eyes focusing on a red glow that seemed to surround Stayne. Something was definitely off here and it made his fur prickle.


	5. Twisted Plot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Sorry for leaving off when things were getting interesting, hope you enjoy this chapter!

Alice stumbled out of the tent, glaring over her shoulder at Stayne through her blonde locks. Her head throbbed like a rotten tooth and she felt off balance and woozy, making her think she might have a concussion. One of the things she had done before she picked up her father's trading company was to learn a bit about medicine so she could take care of her crew in the event of an emergency and right now that knowledge would come in handy. “Come along Um, we must make sure Hatter can see you,” the Knave purred, a sick, twisted grin on his pale face.

Instead of responding, the blonde allowed herself a brief moment to look around. So far she had yet to see the creature that had been with Stayne when he had knocked her out, only a sickly, red glow that seemed to surround the man. Until she knew where that _thing_ was, Alice couldn't make any plans to escape. “How do you even know Hatter is out there? He might be on his way to get the Queen and her army,” she hissed, narrowing her eyes as he pushed her again; shoving her towards the middle of the camp. Then he was rushing at her, roughly grabbing her her hair and yanking her head back. His face was mere inches from hers as he snarled at her.

“I know he is here because I can smell him, just like I can smell him all over your skin. Tell me Um, how did it feel to be raped by a madman?” the black clad male growled, the sun glinting off the metal heart covering his right eye. Instead of answering, the furious woman merely made a dim hacking noise in her chest before spitting in his good eye.

Making a low, snarling noise low in his chest, the Knave was releasing her hair to slap her across the face full force; nearly knocking the woman off her feet. As it was, she stumbled a bit before she regained her footing, whipping her head up to glare at him through the blonde hair over her eyes. A red hand mark was already beginning to appear on her porcelain skin but the fuming woman paid the sting no mind. Then he was grabbing a fistful of her golden locks and yanking her close to him, pulling her head back so her eyes met his. “That wasn't very smart,” he rumbled in a dangerous sounding voice, his nose very nearly touching hers.

“Master, there is a large group heading this way,” came a demonic voice from everywhere and yet nowhere. Then the torso of a glowing, red, infernal looking creature formed behind Stayne and over his right shoulder. It's black eyes slowly moved to her and Alice felt an instant wave of instinctual fear and nausea rush through her. Whatever this creature was, it certainly wasn't natural.

“Good, we _want_ the Queen to see this,” the deranged male murmured, a strange glint in his one eye. Then he was shoving down on Alice's head, forcing the female to her knees.

The former champion didn't go easy, bracing her knees to give him as hard of a time as possible. Sneering down at her through his greasy, black hair, Stayne increased the pressure on her head until she sank to one knee. “Come on out Tarrant! I know you're there,” he screamed, strings of spittle flying from his lips. Only silence greeted his challenge as the Knave tightened his fingers in Alice's flaxen hair.

“If you won't come out on your own, maybe I can draw you out,” Stayne challenged before bending down and capturing her lips in a forced kiss.

A pair of blazing, crimson eyes watched the scene from the forest surrounding the clearing. A low growl rumbled from a pair of too red lips as a half gloved hand clenched around two throwing knives. Then a surprised cry of pain left Stayne as he yanked his head away from Alice, blood pouring from his lower lip as he held a gloved hand to his mouth. “Fucking scarshim!” the Knave yelled, before he backhanded the kneeling female. Proud of his Alice but furious at the Knave, Tarrant was barely able to hold himself back from charging into the clearing. Keeping his blazing gaze on the Djinn, the milliner narrowed his eyes as dread filled him. To be working with such a dark creature, was the man insane? “Mirana and her army are approaching. Keep your cover while I go investigate,” Chessur whispered into his ear before the large feline disappeared.

Gritting his teeth, the wild haired male gave the barest hint of a nod as he kept an eye on the trio in the middle of the clearing. He longed to charge in, to rip Alice out of the Knave's grasp and bury a throwing knife in the man's jugular. Yet he knew it would be better to wait until Chess finished investigating the Djinn. If Stayne had managed to pull off the proper ritual, all of Underland was in a lot of trouble. Reluctantly, the crazed haberdasher placed his knives back into a hidden pocket in his tux coat and simply watched.

Alice spat Stayne's blood out of her mouth and glared up at him defiantly, her cheek stinging where he had hit her for a second time. The red fluid didn't hit the ground as expected, instead curving in mid-air and heading towards the evil looking creature behind the Knave. The monstrous being seemed to absorb the blood, the red glow around him becoming deeper and brighter. Then her head was being yanked back by the gloved hand in her hair so her cerulean gaze met his ebony one. Blood still dribbled from his lower lip as her sneered down at her. “You'll pay for that my little slurim,” he hissed, his stringy hair hanging in his face. Then he was straightening as his one eye scanned the periphery of the clearing. Unknown to the Knave, a flicker of purple and pink flashed behind his shoulder.

Her eyes widening at the brief flash, the former champion quickly schooled her expression back into pure hate as Stayne turned back to give her a mocking look. “It looks as if your tailor is not brave enough to come to your rescue my little champion. Let's see if we can draw him out, shall we?” he husked out in a dangerous sounding voice as he yanked her back to her feet by her golden curls. Once she was standing, Alice began to kick at him; managing a blow to his 'family jewels'.

Making a high pitched noise in the back of his throat, the much taller man released her hair as he slipped to his knees. His gloved hands went between his legs to cup his abused package as his face began to go several shades of red. While he was immobilized, the former champion began to run toward the trees; only to be stopped mid-step by her limbs suddenly locking in place. “Can't have you escaping,” came an inhuman growl by her ear as a clawed hand landed on her shoulder. Even with clothes as a barrier between them, Alice's skin crawled at the contact and she desperately wished she could pull away. Then her head was being turned to the side by the loathsome hand as the thing examined something on her neck.

“Master, it is better than we hoped,” the abomination rumbled, it's touch thankfully leaving her skin. Alice knew if she had to endure another moment, she would have vomited and fainted. Something about the creature made her very soul feel ill and all she wanted to do was get as far away from it as possible.

Stayne painfully pulled himself to his feet, a strained look on his still flushed face as he roughly combed his dirty hair out of his face with his gloved fingers. Straightening his clothes with the most dignified look he could muster, the Knave shifted his gaze to the Djinn as the magical being came back to his side. “Tarrant has managed to mark her,” the red creature whispered in the Knave's ear, low enough that Alice couldn't hear what was said from her frozen position. A cruel smile curled Stayne's lips as pain slowly left his expression.

“Is it full?” he whispered back to the Djinn, his good eye sparkling with malice.

“Not yet but it is only a matter of time. Their connection is very strong,” came a responding rumble, only making Stayne's grin wider.

“Good, that's very good news,” he murmured to himself before walking back to the once champion.

Tarrant watched all of this from his hiding place, steady growls rumbling from his chest. He didn't like how the Knave was treating his Alice! Thankfully Chessur came back before he could do anything rash, like blowing his cover and simply charging in. “Wut's th'word,” the Outlander hissed in the cat's furry ear, causing the tiny triangle to twitch.

“The situation is much worse than anticipated. Stayne completed the ritual with the Djinn and even seems to have gained the creature's loyalty,” the huge feline replied, only his head visible as he murmured in the hatter's ear.

“Shukim,” Tarrant snarled quietly, tearing his crimson eyes away from the clearing as he heard the approach of horses.

“Stay calm Tarrant. Mirana will know what to do,” the partially visible cat whispered, digging his invisible claws into the milliner's shoulder to keep him still. Then there was the faint smell of vanilla as said Queen seemed to materialize right beside him.

“It's worse than I imagined,” came her breathless whisper in his left ear. Tensing beside the female slightly, Tarrant only gave a curt nod in response.

In the clearing, Stayne went stiff before his cruel smile widened into a wicked grin. Then he was striding toward the still frozen Alice, grabbing her hair once again and roughly pulling her head back to expose her delicate throat. “I know you are out there Mirana. If you and Tarrant don't show yourselves, I will slit our pretty savior's throat,” he hissed, the Djinn floating close behind his right shoulder. Silence followed for a few seconds before Mirana and Tarrant both came into the campsite with their hands raised.

“No! Don't! I'm not worth this! I'm not worth the safety of Underland!” Alice cried out, tears flowing freely down her white cheeks. Her entire body was frozen to the spot while her soul cried out for her to move, to fight! She couldn't allow this maniac to hurt Mirana or her precious Hatter.

“Shut up! The grown-ups are talking now my dear,” the Knave hissed, before making a motion in the air with his fingers. Alice, being Alice, tried to open her mouth to scream at her captor but found herself unable to even move her jaw. Looking up at Stayne with a look of furious confusion, the former tradeswoman was made more furious to find him smirking at her.

“The powers of my friend here allow me to do as I please, my dear Um. Something I'm sure our guests are well aware of,” he purred in a self satisfied voice before turning his attention to the two newcomers.

“If ye hurt a hair on mae Alice's head agin, Ah swear Ah'll…,” the enraged milliner began, only to be halted by a gentle hand on his upper arm. Turning his blazing, furious gaze to Mirana, he saw the Queen give a small, subtle shake of her head.

“You are in no position to be making threats Royal Haberdasher,” Stayne taunted, twisting his lips up into a cruel sneer. The Djinn behind him merely hovered in place, it's dark eyes fixed on the Queen in particular.

“What is it you want in exchange for her life?” Mirana asked in a much too calm voice for Alice.

Finding her lips still glued shut, the nearly frantic blonde tried to send a message with her eyes. _'Don't do this! What he could do to Underland isn't worth my life!'_ she tried to send, concentrating so hard that she gave herself a headache. Even though she had no idea what Stayne had in mind, she had a feeling it couldn't be good; especially with the creature that seemed attached to him by a glowing, red thread of smoke. “How kind of you to ask! What I want isn't much, just your Magick,” the Knave cackled, sounding twisted and evil. The white Queen visibly flinched before giving a small nod.

Tarrant also twitched, turning his head to give the monarch an incredulous look. The fact that she would offer her Magick, the very thing that gave her the power to keep Underland alive, touched him deeply. Yet, despite how much danger Alice was in at the moment, the Outlander found himself reluctant to allow her to do such a thing. “An arzi as foul as yerself donnae deserve t'bae in th'Queen's presence, let alone demand her Magick,” he snarled in a thick brogue, his fingers itching to reach into his purple tux coat for his knives.

“Hush Hatta,” Mirana whispered, giving him a meaningful look as she placed a hand on his left arm. The look in her dark eyes warned him against any rash actions and he forced himself to back down. If Chessur was right about Stayne and the Djinn, killing the Knave would do much more harm than good.

All Alice could do was weep silently as the noble woman went on one knee before the loathsome male that held a knife against her throat. Then the demonic being that was floating close to Stayne was moving towards the white figure before a bright, almost blinding light surrounded both figures. The light almost became painful to look at before it suddenly stopped, leaving the figure of a slumped Mirana visible. The horrible creature's red glow was now twice as big and bright and the thing itself was much bigger. It let out a horrible laugh that chilled Alice's blood in her veins before it rejoined its master. “Thank you so much for your gift Mirana. I am a man of my word. You may have your 'champion' back, for the time being. Do keep her safe for me,” Stayne hissed before releasing a laugh so full of evil that it made all the hairs on Alice's body raise. Then they were gone and she found herself slumping to her knees on the ground.

Tarrant was there in a second, pulling her into his arms as he seemed to tremble. Pulling away after a few seconds, his now orange eyes flicked over her form; checking for any injury. The smell of blood was thick around her, making it very hard to keep a reign on his darker urges. Forcing his desire to taste her blood to the back of his mind, the Outlander forced her head down so he could check on the source of the smell. “I'm fine Hatter. He just knocked me on the back of my head,” Alice protested, trying to squirm out of his tight grasp. Then their gazes went to Mirana in unison.

The once young and strong monarch was now slumped on the ground, breathing harshly as she forced herself up with her hands. Her once white hair now looked a sickly gray and the aura of life that usually surrounded her was gone. When she looked up, her once young face looked older and more sickly. “Mirana,” Alice gasped, running over to the weakened female.

“Your Majesty, we must get you back to Mamoreal,” came a deep purr as Chessur materialized next to Alice's head. Concern was clear in his luminous green eyes as his long tail curled around his large, floating body.

“Yes, you are right. I will be of little help in my current condition,” Mirana whispered, her voice much more wispy and weak. Then one of her personal guards was rushing forward, dressed in pure white armor and resembling a chess knight. Giving a nod to Alice and Tarrant, the clanking man picked the Queen up as if she weighed nothing and ran off toward the forest.

Finding herself alone with an orange eyed hatter and a partially visible chesire cat, Alice released a slow breath before wrapping her arms around the still crazed male. “Alice, we need t'get tha' looked at,” Tarrant sighed, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Then he was scooping her up in his arms and jogging back towards his home.

“What's going to happen now that Stayne has Mirana's Magick,” the blonde whispered, suddenly feeling very tired. Mirana hadn't looked good at all and even the air in Underland itself had become heavy and oppressive.

“I donnae know. We have a lo' t'prepare fer,” sighed the purple clad male as he continued to move through the forest at an unnaturally fast clip. Chessur followed close behind, a deeply concerned look on his furry face.

“He has already begun to drain the life force of Underland but I have no idea what he plans to do with that power. It will not be long until the lands start falling into chaos,” the feline replied, his body shimmering in and out of view.

“We don't have time to stop and take care of me then! We have to start warning the others,” Alice protested, squirming in Tarrant's tight grasp.

“No, th'bluddy cat c'n send word. Righ' naow Ah need t'take care o'ye,” the milliner gritted out, his voice a gruff brogue as he began to move even faster. Chessur gave disgruntled noise before winking at the pair and disappearing.

“Ha…,” she began again, only to be silenced by a hard stare.

“T-tarrant?” she whispered, her blue eyes going wide as his orange gaze burned into hers. There was a rim of crimson around both irises, letting the injured female know just how close he was to losing his tenuous grip on his control.

“I need t'tend t'ye,” he hissed, a hard edge to his roughened voice as he continued to charge forward.

“But, I'll be fine in a few days! I probably shouldn't go to sleep for a while but I'll be okay,” the former champion protested, no longer fighting but not content with the current turn of events. Instead of answering, the haberdasher tightened his grip on her as he finally burst through some trees in front of his house.

Then he was charging into the ramshackle building, his sunset colored eyes flicking around the room in a desperate manner. “Stay here,” he rumbled as he finally sat her on a lopsided couch. A couch that seemed to wrap an upholstered arm around her to keep her in place. Sighing, Alice relaxed against the furniture and patted the stiff arm around her waist.

“We still have to make a plan, gather an army! We also need to be sure Queen Mirana is protected,” the resigned female sighed.

“No. Righ' naow we need t'take care o'yer wounds. Yer no gud t'anyone like this. Ye need t'rest an' recover,” Tarrant husked, fixing her with a glare as he strode back over to her with some bandages and salves. Resigned to her fate, Alice bent her head forward for her friend to examine. His fingers danced delicately over her abused scalp as he made concerned noises in his throat.

“Taint broken but yer gonna have a nasty lump,” he murmured as he gently began to dab at the spot with some cool salve. As soon as the substance touched her skin, it began to tingle relieving some of the pain as well as a bit of the pounding headache she had.

Sighing in relief, Alice relaxed into the couch and shut her eyes briefly. Then she opened them, forcing herself to stay conscious with sheer force of will. As she focused on staying awake, Tarrant was carefully laying some bandages over the salve, kissing the wound when he finished. “I need to stay awake,” the tired, foggy woman whispered, valiantly trying to keep her eyes open.

“Tell mae 'bout yer fam'ly Above,” came a gruff whisper as a half gloved hand came to grasp hers and a pair of burning eyes locked with hers. With a small smile, the blonde took a deep breath and began a tale about her and her sister.


	6. Into Chaos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: *innocent whistle* More drama this chapter.

Hours later and Tarrant was involved in a heated argument with Thackery while Alice sat next to a floating, serious looking Chessur. “But she's th'champion, innit she,” the crazed rabbit tried to reason, one of his overly large eyes twitching as his teacup jittered in his brown paws. His long, ragged ears swiveled as if he was nervous about his surroundings and with someone like the March Hare, that was probably the case. He had never been the same since the war, something both Chessur and the hatter had told her.

“Tha' donnae matter! I'll not have her fightin' when there is no need for it,” the crazed, orange haired male snarled, his matching eyes beginning to shift to a deep crimson from his rage.

“Ha… Tarrant, it's my job,” Alice tried to reason, doing her best not to flinch when he turned his furious gaze to her. Blazing orange met cool blue as the tux wearing man stalked up to her. The very air around him sparked with rage and protectiveness as his half gloved hands clenched and released by his sides.

“Yer job ended when yae killed th'Jabberwock,” he bit out through gritted teeth, fury and concern thick in his brogue.

“A proper Champion doesn't put their sword away when their land needs them, no matter how great the danger. You'll have to tie me up to keep me off the battlefield,” the tradeswoman bit out, her azure eyes sparking with determination as she got to her feet. The large feline beside her floated to perch on the shoulder closest to the milliner, his huge, green eyes giving Tarrant a stern look.

“Donnae tempt me lil gel! Ah'd sooner tie ye to th'bed than risk losin' yae,” he hissed, his hands clenching tightly and shaking as he fought to control himself.

“You can try but I will put up one Hell of a fight! After the war is over and you've let me free, I can promise I will never forgive you,” the very muchy female hissed, closing the small distance between them and staring up at him with a matching fury in her eyes. The two glared at eachother for a few moments before the haberdasher visibly deflated.

“Alice, mae Alice. This need no' bae yer fight. I cannae bear the though' o' losin' yae, no' after jus' getting' yae back, no' when yae migh' bae…,” the purple clad man sighed, trailing off as his eyes stayed locked with hers. The red ring around them faded to leave only orange as he gazed at her with stark fear and pleading. His fingerless gloved hands came up to grasp her arms lightly as tears began to rim his eyes, very nearly swaying her into agreeing. Seeing him this distraught caused a knife of guilt to twist in her heart but the former savior found herself far more determined to save Underland from this mess she had gotten it into.

“This is my fault Tarrant. Stayne used me as bait to get to Mirana and I feel I need to atone for that. I shouldn't have been so easy to capture,” Alice pleaded, watching Tarrant as he closed his eyes and fought with himself.

“Alice… Ah swear t'yae that Ah'll pr'tect yae until mae last breath,” he declared, opening his eyes to reveal they were a deep, blood red. Then he was kissing her fiercely, one of his hands coming up to tangle in her golden hair.

“Yes, well that's all and good but we must come up with a plan! Mirana is not doing well and Underland itself is falling into strife. That atmosphere is turning hateful and angry due to Stayne's influence,” McTwisp interjected, his short, white ears swiveling nervously as his pinkish-blue eyes darted around the room.

“I agree. The faeries and evaporators are already being effected, turning into spies for the Knave,” Chess sighed, his fur flickering to a more somber gray and blue color scheme.

“And Ah though' yer type were ne'er involved in politics,” Tarrant snarled, releasing Alice to shoot a glare at the levitating feline.

“For good reason Hatta! If we were any more than a neutral presence, we would tip the balance unfairly in the advantage of whichever side we joined. We simply cannot allow ourselves to interfere with any fate that is decreed,” the irritated cat replied, his body going invisible to only leave his wide, toothy mouth floating in the air.

“We're talkin' 'bout the very gewd o' Underland! How can yae bluddy creatures just si' by an' le' som'un like Bluddy Beeg Hed do as she pleases, genocide an entire clan of people,” the incensed male replied, going rail stiff as the red in his eyes deepened alarmingly. The more angry the hatter got, the thicker his brogue became until he sounded like a dangerously pissed Scotsman that was very nearly spitting straight Gaelic.

The room went dead silent as the entire group realized just what Tarrant was talking about. Even Chessur phased his head back to visibility to lock eyes with the furious male before him. “My dear friend, we are not heartless creatures. It took everything within me to not help when Iracebeth sent her troops here. We are simply not allowed to interfere. Who are we to say what is best for Underland? If we had intervened, would that have changed things for the better or the worst. If we had intervened would Alice's fated day with the Jabberwock have happened?” the saddened feline whispered, his nearly glowing green eyes locked with the purple suited haberdasher. Tarrant looked about to protest before he shut his mouth and a thoughtful look came over his pale face.

“You are not the only one who lost family that day Tarrant,” the humongous tabby continued, causing the purple clad male to jolt in place.

“Aye, I had to sit by and allow my mate and my own kittens to perish when I knew what would happen. As much as I wish to intervene, I cannot come in the way of fate. What Stayne is doing is a sin,” Chess growled, tears rolling down his furred cheeks as his blue stripes flickered in and out of sight.

“So you're saying that Stayne is tipping the scales to circumvent fate?” Alice asked quietly, horrified and curious about her friend's sad confession. She hadn't know the free-wheeling feline had a family back home. Despite her burning curiosity, the former champion knew better than to ask.

“Indeed Alice. He is using the Djinn's power to speed his influence. What took Iracebeth decades will only take him a matter of weeks. Speed is of the essence. We must dispose of Stayne and the Djinn before Underland has a chance to deteriorate any more,” the gray and blue cat declared, fixing her with an unusually grim look.

“Do we even know where the bastard is? Where do we start?” Alice demanded, her blue eyes shining with rage and determination. If time was of the essence, then more than enough had been wasted with just sitting here and arguing.

“I will be gathering the rest of my brethren. I suggest you and Tarrant head to the former Red Queen's castle and see if Stayne has settled there. McTwisp and Thackery will be best at gathering the beings that have yet to be touched by the Knave's influence,” Chessur replied before simply disappearing on his self appointed mission.

Giving a nod to the two lapines, Alice began to hurriedly pack a bag of supplies. Tarrant also began to pack while the two animals left and ran off in opposite directions. Both being of the rabbit family, their speed would be to their advantage. “How's yer head,” the wild haired man beside her sighed as he packed some salves into a large sack.

“Much better,” she replied, giving him a small, reassuring smile.

“Alice, Ah cannae… I jus' wanted ta,” he stammered, his orange gaze full of worry and fear.

“I know Tarrant, it's okay. Everything will be okay in the end,” the blonde tried to reassure, placed a gentle hand on one of his suit clad arms.

Before she could even react, his arms were wrapping around her slim body as his lips crashed down on hers fiercely. His sharp teeth bit at her lips while his tongue demanded entrance to her mouth. When she opened with a gasp under his assault, Tarrant's hands twitched on her back while his tongue dove into her sweet cavern. Then he was breaking the kiss with a deep, shuddery moan. “I need t'have yae afore we go on this mission. I donnae know if yae… I cannae go wi'ou',” he stammered, his brogue getting deeper from both his distress and his lust.

“It's okay,” she sighed against his lips before wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a heated kiss of her own. She knew what he was talking about all too well and felt it as well. Neither of them could say with any certainty if they would both get out of this alive. They had to make the most out of their all too short time together. Swallowing the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes, Alice moaned into her lover's mouth. Lover. A thrill went through her that she could call the man in her arms that, if only in her own mind.

Skilled hands removed her clothing before she even noticed and the orange haired man broke the kiss to latch onto a rosy nipple. A surprised, pleased yelp left Alice's lips at the contact, feeling as if shocks were traveling straight from his mouth to her awakening core. Her hands found their way into his flaming curls and her head arched back when he gently pinched the nub between his teeth. “T-tarrant,” she gasped out, the resulting growl from him causing the heat already pooling within her to froth and roil.

“Mae Alice,” he breathed against her flesh before he was scooping her up and carrying her up the stairs to his room. Despite what had happened her first night back, neither let that memory soil this moment or their need for eachother.

“Lay on th'bed dear one,” Tarrant husked out as he carefully set her on her feet. Not wasting a moment, Alice lay on her bed and displayed herself for her friend's hungry gaze.

In a flash, the crazed male was naked and shoving his face in the junction of her legs. Then his talented tongue was on her and a breathy moan left her lips as her back arched. Her perky, large breasts heaved into the air, the pink nipples fairly begging for his orange stained fingers. Teeth grazed over her sensitive button, drawing a moaning cry of his name from her lips as her fingers twisted themselves in his vibrant, curly locks. “T-tarrant, oh God,” she gasped as his tongue proceeded to plunge into her. The sensation caused a deep, pulsing pressure to begin to fill her lower body, reminding her a lot of their actual first time together.

Then he was focusing on her sensitive button, growling deeply for every soft keen the blonde released. As for Alice, she felt like she was lost amid a sea of burning, pulsing, nearly painful pleasure. His given name left her mouth like a mantra as she ground herself against his mouth. “T-tarrant, I'm going to…,” she gasped out in a breathy, high pitched voice; her hips writhing in small circles. In response, the man between her legs latched onto her clit and sucked; sending her over the edge as her vision went white with pleasure.

Before she could begin to come down from the earth shattering high, Alice felt Tarrant pressing himself into her. Arching her back in pleasure as her body welcomed him, the panting blonde wrapped her shapely arms around her lover's neck; meeting his eyes as he began to move within her. Feeling him move within her felt like heaven itself and small sobs of his name left her as she began to press heated kisses all over his too pale face. “Alice, mae lovelay lil Alice,” he sighed in a reverent, throaty voice as his hips began to snap viciously against hers.

The former tradeswoman could feel something within her tightening ever faster, making it hard for her to draw breath as she held onto Tarrant for dear life. Then her entire body stiffened as she exploded into white hot pleasure, a sobbed cry of his name leaving her lips as her lips met his in a passionate kiss. Growling into her eager mouth, the nearly frantic male nearly crushed her small body to his as he spilled himself into her. His entire body shuddered from exertion but Tarrant seemed unwilling to lay her down or allow any sort of distance between their bodies. “Ah love yae Alice,” he murmured against the left side of her neck, his soft lips brushing against something that made a new wave of lust shudder through her sated body.

Tarrant pulled away from her neck to look at the red mark from yesterday. The mark was now larger, taking on a more hat-like shape and a slightly purple tinge. Hope soared in his heart as he didn't dare to take a breath for fear of waking up. He almost didn't dare to believe it but it looked like he had found the rarest thing in Underland. In a small scrap of a girl named Alice, he had found his true soulmate. It took everything within the crazed male to not run to the top of his roof and scream this news to the entire Underneath. Only the very real threat of Stayne made him come crashing back to reality and fear began to fill him once more.

As if sensing his distress, the golden haired female removed her hands from his neck to cup his strained face. “I love you Tarrant,” she whispered, earning a stunned look from the shaking man. Then his eyes closed as his breath stopped.

“Say it again,” came a soft, unsure lisp, startling the blonde badly. Hearing Hatter again after so many hours with his madness was a bit jarring. Still, it only took seconds to recover from the shock and she smiled softly.

“I love you Tarrant,” Alice repeated, gasping when his eyes shot open and vibrant green met her blue. Hatter was back, shoving his madness to the back as his rough hands came up to grasp her milky face.

“I love you too Alice. So much,” he declared in an emotion choked voice before his lips met hers in a sweet, tender kiss. A kiss so full of love and adoration that it nearly took the former savior's breath away. As their tongues twirled together, Alice felt her heart twist in agony from the unfairness of the situation. She had just gotten back to Underland and she and her cherished friend had finally consummated a relationship a long time in the making. Now all of that could be taken from her and the bitterness of that realization burned in her gut.

This knowledge caused Alice to put more fire into her kiss as tears rolled down her paper white cheeks unchecked. The hands cupping his face tightened and their kiss grew frantic. Before either of them knew it, he was thrusting within her once more while his tears mixed with hers. His lips fluttered over her face as he thrust slowly, as if taking the time to memorize every inch of her that he could feel. “Alice,” he nearly sobbed in a heartbroken voice against her lips just before he broke the kiss to take a nipple into his hot mouth.

Gasping his name in the same tone as her heart clenched in her chest, Alice allowed her hands to rest on her lover's tensing back as he continued to take her slowly and sweetly. Her third orgasm built up achingly slow, drawing breathless keens from the blonde's mouth as Tarrant moved within her. His verdant eyes stayed locked on her face, the orange rim around his iris belying just how close to the surface his more violent half was. Veins stood out in his pale, strong neck from the exertion and his stained hands gripped her hips in a nearly painful grasp.

Resting her sweaty forehead against a shoulder, the tradeswoman let out a shuddery moan as she felt the pulsing electricity within her begin to gather and tighten in her lower belly. Planting wet, heated kisses on his slick flesh, Alice locked eyes with Tarrant as her world ever so slowly began to come apart at the seams. Watching her caused the orange in his eyes to slowly take over as the thrusts became more rough and demanding. “Ah won' le' them take yae from us,” he growled, tears rolling down his cheeks freely as her orgasm began to crash over her. While her body burst into a wonderful nebula of pleasure, Tarrant was drinking in the expression on her face as his thrusts began to falter. Then he was stiffening above her, an almost broken call of her name leaving the mighty warrior as he spilled himself within her.

Gripping the haberdasher to her as if she was afraid he would disappear, Alice allowed herself to break in his shaking arms. Ragged, heartbroken sobs left her as Tarrant laid himself beside her and gathered her into his protective arms. His nose burrowed into her yellow hair and inhaled deeply as he simply allowed her to sob in his chest. Unknown to the distraught woman, his own tears continued to leave him as he made soothing noises. “It's not fair Ha… Tarrant. I've missed you so much and went through such pain to finally get to this moment with you and it all might be taken away before I can truly experience it. Why does this have to be my responsibility?! I never asked for any of this,” she hissed into his undefined pecs before she pitifully punched him with a delicate fist.

The milliner holding her only kissed the crown of her head as his hands roved over her back slowly. He knew the question was rhetorical so, despite the fact that he shared her complaints, he decided not to answer. After a few moments, the sobbing tapered off and the muchy female that had become his entire world pulled out of his embrace to wipe her tears. “That's more than enough of that Alice Kingsleigh! You won't get anything done by laying in bed and feeling sorry for yourself! Time to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and act like an adult,” she declared, getting out of bed and pulling on some clothing.

Before she could pull on her shirt, a half gloved hand with orange stained fingers came into her vision; holding a light looking chain-mail shirt. Looking up, she saw Tarrant looking down at her with orange rimmed, green eyes that were full or fear and protectiveness. “Thanks,” she smiled, taking the surprisingly light, metal shirt. The haberdasher only gave a small nod before beginning to pull on his own clothing. Once they were both dressed, the pair walked downstairs and out the door. The tux wearing male lead her to a small building beside the house and opened the door to reveal a building full of weapons. Going inside, the wild haired tailor turned to look at her.

Realizing he already had his throwing knives while she had nothing, the once again champion entered the shed. “Make sure ya talk to alla the weapons and find out which one feels like working with ya. Nothin' worse than havin' a sword that don't like ya,” he advised, gesturing to the wall of melee weapons. Giggling at his words but well used to the sheer oddness of Underland, Alice began to chat which each sharp implement. After a few long minutes, the scrappy blonde found a poisoned katana that got along great with her. The blade seemed to be a female itself, going on and on about how grateful it was to be held by a fellow woman.

“I haven't treated ya _that_ bad Chrysanthemum,” Hatter protested after five minutes of this, sounding only slightly put out and mostly amused.

“It's not that my darling, darling Tarrant! Oh, you wouldn't understand. A woman has a more delicate touch and an innate elegance that can easily bring out some of my hidden abilities,” the sword hummed, sounding truly worried that 'she' had offended her former wielder.

“I didn't know you had hidden abilities,” the haberdasher gasped, sounding honestly surprised as he stared at the weapon in the blonde's hands.

“Every girl is entitled to keep her secrets,” Alice answered before her new companion could, a coy smirk on her face as she turned to look at the variety of sheaths.

After a few more moments, the two females settled on a suitable housing and were exiting the hut with Tarrant close behind them. As Alice released a loud whistle for Bandy, her treasured lover began to shift to his more war-like madness. The shift made him much more unpredictable and prone to anger by she found herself feeling oddly safe in the darker half's presence. “Stay close t'mae,” he rumbled in a gruff, throaty voice, pulling her to his side as the huge Bandersnatch came skidding to a stop in front of them. Once the dog-like monster had lowered himself to the ground, Tarrant was vaulting onto his furry back with the blonde safely ensconced in his arms. Once the pair was settled, they were off like a shot towards Iracebeth's old castle.

A singular eye watched the trio, an insane smile twisted a long, pale face. “Their bond is strengthening. Djinn, would you kindly do a reconnaissance mission tonight,” Stayne hissed, keeping his dark gaze fixed on the glowing orb that floated in front of him.

“Gladly, my master,” the demonic creature purred, a pleased smile on its monstrous face. It's bottomless eyes were also fixed on the glowing orb as the blood red aura around it pulsed. Its claws already itched to feel more blood run over them. The sheer amount of fear and chaos already had added to its own power exponentially. As long as things kept going along this vein, it would gladly continue to do whatever its master asked.

“I need you to see if the little wench down there is carrying or not. If she is, tell me immediately. If she isn't, keep an eye on her until she is,” the Knave ordered, a malicious glint in his ebony eye.

“As you wish,” the creature rumbled before simply disappearing. Stayne took no notice, only kept his crazed gaze on the picture before him.

“Soon Tarrant, soon I will make you pay for all you have taken from me. Soon I will make you so mad, you will be of no use to anyone,” the dark male cackled, his gloved hands curling into tight, shaking fists as his laughter began to resemble screams. Unknown to the insane man, a flicker of blue blinked in and out of existence behind him.

Chessur's vibrant eyes narrowed as worry spiked in his heart. More than half of his brethren had been corrupted but the rest were safe now that they had been warned. With his task finished, the feline had taken it upon himself to do a little reconnaissance on Iracebeth's former partner. What he had found truly disturbed him. He already had a suspicion of what Stayne had in mind and it made nausea burn in the pit of his gut. He would need to get a bit more information before he raised the alarm but the implications deeply disturbed him. Just before he disappeared into the between, a pair of red eyes appeared beside his invisible head. “Hello 'brother',” purred a deep voice in a triangular ear just before the world went black.


	7. Heinous Designs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I want to extend a hearty thanks to a special reviewer on Adult Fanfiction! Thank you for enjoying the story so far!

It was well beyond dark when the ragtag group came to a stop. Tarrant and Alice rode on top of Bandy while McTwisp and Thackery ran beside the gallumphing beast. Mallymkun was astride the hatter's hat and shielding her eyes with a furless paw. By the time they stopped, Chessur still hadn't shown up; making everyone worried. “It's not like him to be this late,” Alice whispered as she slid off the enormous Bandersnatch.

“Aye, tis strange indeed,” the milliner whispered as he slid off as well, palming one of his throwing knives as he looked around nervously. Mally crawled down his side while he crouched, scampering into the underbrush to take a quick look around for danger. Thackery nervously sniffed the air, his ragged brown ears twitching and McTwisp stood tall with his paws pressed to his chest and his ears straight in the air.

“If he's been turned, we'll not be safe for even a moment,” the white rabbit whispered, tugging on his waistcoat nervously.

“Och why di' Ah allow ya t'git mae mixed oop in this,” burred the nervous hare as he threw an accusing gaze at the wild haired haberdasher. Tarrant only shrugged neutrally as he pulled Alice close to his side and held her there.

“If the bloody feline isnae here by the time we've finished settin' up camp, we'll have t'consider him a traitor,” the tux wearing male muttered darkly before pulling open a saddle bag on Bandy's left hip and whispering into it.

Soon the tents were setting themselves up while a pair of shovels dug a fire pit. “Ah'll be goin' in th'woods t'see if there are any trees that'd be willin' t'donate a few dead branches. Thackery, guard mae Alice wi'yer life,” the orange haired tailor ordered before he simply melted into the darkness. Alice watched in awe, finding herself wondering just how he disappeared so silently and completely. The man wasn't exactly dressed for stealth and his hair certainly didn't help. Once again, she found herself wondering just how bad the initial war with Iracebeth had been. Not one of her friends seemed untouched by the events.

Thackery certainly seemed to suffer from some form of PTSD, always hyper aware and ready to run at a moment's notice. McTwisp's obsession with time could be due to Iracebeth's demands on him, she had probably made sure he was on time by doing horrendous things to him the blonde had yet to hear about. Hatter… she still couldn't hazard a guess what had happened to the man. From the way he acted, it was obvious he had been on the front lines; maybe even running stealth missions to take out key opponents. She idly wondered how many people he had killed but quickly pulled herself from the useless train of thought. All this thinking about the past was nowhere near productive.

To Thackery's very loud protests, Alice got to her feet and walked the few steps to the saddle bags to look through their food. “Hush March! I doubt I'll be attacked a few feet from where I was sitting,” the blonde sighed, using the hare's nickname to try to draw him out of his panic.

“Tha' may bae lil missy bu' Ah was pu' in charge o' ya! If'n ya s'much as scrape yer knee it'll be mae very hide!” the brown lapine groaned, his wide eyes rolling wildly as he looked around the edges of the clearing nervously. He looked about ready to jump out of his fur any moment and the champion found herself wondering if he would run or fight. “How bout you tell the tea pot your recipes for tea?” Alice offered gently, giving the shaking creature the porcelain items. At once his demeanor changer to eager enthusiasm and he began to mutter Outlandish into the top of the kettle. The former trades-woman watched with a smile before she resumed digging around for a skillet and some food she could cook for everyone once Tarrant got back with some firewood.

By the time the milliner had returned, the group had become a bit more relaxed but was still on guard. With a grim look on his pale face, the tux wearing male set up the logs and coaxed them to burst into flame, drawing a surprised gasp from Alice. No matter how long she was in Underland, there would still be things that surprised her. Chuckling, the blonde got to her feet to talk to the skillet and food to see what they felt like making. Since this morning she had been dying to try it. To her surprise and delight, her polite requests were met with cooing and general approval. “Don't ya worry your lil head my darling girl! We'll make you the best dinner we can,” squeaked the skillet in a proud, female voice before hopping onto its handle and barking orders to various food items.

“Yae di' very well mae Alice,” came a satisfied burr by one of her ears as she felt a pair of hands come to rest on her shoulders. Smiling, the once again savior turned to smile at her lover and dearest friend.

“I just hope they make something everyone likes,” the blonde responded as Mally came scampering up to the resting group. Without waiting to be asked, Tarrant bent to extend an arm for the rodent to climb. Once she was safely perched on his top hat, she straightened the red tunic she wore and gave Alice a quick bow.

“I didn't see anyone out there and so far none of the trees or various flora have turned. I wouldn't stay for long though. The corruption is spreading quickly,” chirped the small creature.

“Aye, Ah c'n feel it in th'air. We need t'get this done and over wi' as soon as possible,” the orange haired tailor growled, all his tenderness of earlier leaving for a very business-like demeanor. His half gloved hands tightened on Alice's shoulders briefly before he took a seat beside her and practically pulled her into his lap. Orange stained fingers slowly moved over her golden locks as if to comfort himself.

“Yer no' t'leave mae sight fer any reason,” he husked into the crown of her head, his blazing orange eyes watching the kitchen instruments prepare the food.

From the shadows of the trees around the camp, an invisible figure watched the small group closely. It had seemed like hours but the creature had been waiting centuries for an opportunity like this. Soon it would know power it's kind had only dreamed about, it could afford to wait a few more hours. So it waited, watching the group as they ate and laughed. Soon its patience paid off and the group retired to their tents one by one. With an evil smile on it's face, the Djinn mumbled a spell under its breath; a spell that would keep them asleep while it came into the camp to collect what it needed.

Stayne paced the length of his throne room, his hands clasped behind his back while Chessur perched on his shoulder. The blue and gray colored feline looked oddly somber, almost like a zombie. Within a few moments of this, the demonic looking Djinn appeared in the room; an absolutely horrifying grin on it's red face. From the look on it's face, the Knave was able to tell it had been successful. “My master, she is in the early stages of pregnancy,” the creature purred, drawing crazed laughter from the leather clad man.

“Excellent! Now all we need to do is wait for that little marking of hers to become full. Any estimation?” the dark man asked excitedly, giving Chessur's ears an absent scratch. The large feline only blinked slowly, as if not fully comprehending everything that was happening.

“May be as soon as the 'morrow. I have placed a spell on her to alert us of when it happens. All is going well,” the Djinn purred, its own smile on its terrifying face.

“Absolutely perfect,” Stayne chuckled, dark laughter bubbling from his chest as a pair of ebony eyes shot open in Mamoreal.

Mirana sat bolt upright in her bed, her breath leaving her frail chest in ragged, rattling gasps. Her white skin had gradually grown more and more gray and black was beginning to creep up along the edges of her dress. She could feel the evil spreading in Underland like a disease and it was slowly but surely killing her. If Stayne wasn't stopped soon, her entire kingdom would fall into darkness. The creatures were no doubt already turning into demonic versions of themselves and were becoming dangerous. “Bayard,” the ailing monarch called out in a wavering voice, drawing the Bloodhound to her bedside immediately.

“Find Hatter, give him a message for me. Alice is in terrible danger,” she whispered in a barely there voice, giving the canine's floppy ears an affectionate rub.

“But Majesty if I leave who will guard you?” asked the worried hound, fear for the monarch clear in his brown eyes.

“I will be fine when Underland is no longer being warped by the power of that Djinn, please. If it is planning what I think it is, we need to warn them as soon as possible,” Mirana gasped out, flinching as more of her dress turned black, the color spreading almost like blood on cloth. Bayard only whimpered before dashing off like the very hounds of Hell were on his tail.

Alice awoke to the sound of a dog howling off in the distance and felt a cold rush of fear fill her. As if sensing her distress, the man next to her pulled her into a protective embrace as he slowly sat up. “Tis jest Bayard,” he murmured in a sleep roughened voice as he placed a loving kiss on the top of her head. Then the haberdasher was slowly getting to his feet, revealing he was all too naked. Feeling a flush of embarrassment and lust, the former tradeswoman got dressed as well before allowing Tarrant to lead her out of their tent and into the early morning gloom.

Once outside, they were greeted by a frantic Mallymkun scampering up to them from Bandy. The tiny fighter had slept in the huge beast's fur for both warmth and safety last night. “It's Bayard,” she gasped out as she climbed the hatter's purple clothing and resumed her position on his top hat.

“He's saying that Mirana sent him,” the small rodent whispered, worry in her large eyes as the Bloodhound came running into the camp at break neck speed.

“Alice, Tarrant. Thank the Under I found you,” he panted out, his four legs shaking as he tried to catch his breath.

“Important message from the Queen. She thinks Stayne may be preparing to do the 'Infernus' spell,” the panting canine continued as he slowly sat down to catch his breath some. While Alice had no idea what Bayard was talking about, it seemed Tarrant certainly knew.

“No, not that spell. I knew he was evil but to even _think_ about using such dark Magick,” came a nervous gasp, making everyone turn to look at an absolutely terrified McTwisp.

“Aye, Ah agree. Tha' he would use such a spell…,” the milliner hissed, his voice holding deep rage and terror as his hold tightened on the female next to him.

“What does the spell entail?” Alice asked, earning a grimace from the gathering group. Even Thackery had joined them, looking around in his usual nervous manner.

“We donnae like t'speak o' such unpleasantries,” the ragged hare murmured, cleaning one of his long ears in an effort to comfort himself.

“Aye bu' I 'ave a dreadful feelin' tha' he may 'ave mae Alice in mind,” Tarrant growled, worry clear in his voice as his grip tightened on her arm. Then the wild haired man was leading her into their tent, sitting her down on their makeshift bed before he began to pace.

As he moved frantically, his orange eyes kept traveling to her neck; making her touch the spot he was staring at out of curiosity. Pleasure exploded in her lower body as soon as her fingertips brushed a tiny spot on her flesh, making the blonde spasm in place as a gasp left her lips. Before she could even begin to ask what had caused that, Tarrant was kneeling before her and taking her hands into his. The rough material of his fingerless gloves brushed pleasantly against her skin as he seemed to search for what to say. “Alice, I have somethin' important t'tell ya,” he sighed, his intense eyes filled with an uncharacteristic worry. Then he was closing them and taking a deep breath as his body went slightly slack.

“In Underland, sometimes it's possible to find your… well your soulmate. A soulmate is a very rare thing down here but once found, there will be no separating them. They feel eachother's pain, needs and can even communicate telepathically in some cases. An easy way to tell if your are soulmates is to bite your intended during sex. Usually your family marking will show up on their skin. This marking is very sensitive but essential in cementing the bond,” Hatter whispered in a quiet lisp, his eyes slowly sliding open to reveal vibrant green orbs. Alice could only stare down at him as she absorbed everything he said.

The first night they had been together, Hatter's more violent side had bitten her neck hard enough to draw blood. Ever since then she _had_ noticed an odd sensitivity in the skin there as well as the absence of any wound. She had merely shrugged it off as more Underland strangeness but with what her lover was telling her, it had been something much deeper. “I'm… we're… can you feel me right now?” Alice asked curiously, all sorts of questions spinning around in her head.

“If I concentrate on it. It's been getting clearer all the time. I usually try to not focus on it to give you your privacy,” replied her timid friend as a tentative smile began to curl his red lips.

“Why can't I feel you?” the blonde asked, a small smile on her pale face. The fact that he could get in her head but chose not to made her feel oddly happy.

“You have yet to mark me in return but we're not in here to talk about that,” Hatter sighed, the absence of his madness feeling rather odd to the blonde. She had seen more of the more dangerous, short tempered part of her lover and she found herself wondering just who the original personality was. They all called the orange eyed version his madness but was that what the war had made him, with the soft spoken one being more of a social mask? Was the Hatter she was seeing the one he had always been before the war or had he been forced into that because his normal personality was too traumatized to be safe? Had he been the 'Hatter' for so long that he had simply forgotten who he really was? Did she really know her friend at all?

“Alice?” lisped a quiet, but concerned voice as callused fingertips gently touched her cheek, jolting her out of her thoughts. Giving the man in front of her a reassuring smile, the once again champion placed her hand over his to hold it against her face.

“Just thinking Tar… Ha… what on Earth do I call you?” she asked, playful exasperation in her voice as she reached down with her free hand to run her fingers through his bright orange hair.

“I… I don't know anymore Alice,” he sighed in a lost sounding voice, leaning into her hands.

Then he was getting to his feet and pacing, his expression switching between worried and outraged. “Hatter?” the blonde asked cautiously, deciding to go with the name she knew for his current 'personality'.

“The spell that arzi is going to use is very black Magick, intended to turn all of Underland into a literal Hell. All the denizens will be forcefully changed into demonic creatures that will be utterly loyal to him. With an army like that and the Djinn on his side, he could easily take over Overland as well,” the haberdasher hissed, keeping his gaze locked on the ground as he moved. At his words, Alice felt a cold rush of fear wash through her. If he was right, Stayne was much more of a danger than she had originally thought. Before she could ask how the spell would be performed, Hatter was in front of her again; kneeling down to grasp her face.

“This spell is one of the most evil ones that can be performed, often corrupting the soul of the caster beyond any redemption. The key component for the Magick is a pure, unborn soul,” he whispered urgently, orange rimming his green eyes as his more violent side started to come forward. His words took a minute to click but when they did Alice got a horrified look on her pale face.

“You mean he has to kill a pregnant being?” she asked in a small, quiet voice, getting a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“He doesn't have to kill the mother, just make her lose the child,” he whispered, his eyes staying locked on hers as his callused thumbs caressed her cheeks.

“Are you saying… Am I pregnant?” she whispered in a stunned voice, placing a shaking hand on her flat stomach. Hatter only closed his eyes as his nostrils flared and he took a deep inhale of her scent. The longer he took to respond, the more that feeling in her stomach grew into dread.

“Aye mae Alice. Yae be expectin' our first bairn,” he rumbled in a roughened voice, placing his own hand over hers. That was when realization hit her in the head like a cinder-block and she was on her feet with a look of fury and outright terror on her milky face.

“That's why he let me go so easily! He didn't have to return me once he had Mirana's Magick! He could have just killed all of us and had done with it! He must be waiting to…,” she whispered, the anger in her voice getting thicker and thicker as her hands curled into fists and began to shake. Tarrant was there within moments, rising to his feet to cup her face gently to force her gaze onto him.

“Aye, no doubt as revenge fer dethronin' th'Red Queen. Donnae fear, Ah'll be protectin' th'both o' ye wi' mae life,” he growled, his own rage burning in his now crimson eyes. If the Knave even dared to come near Alice, the crazed tailor would kill him no matter the consequence.

To his shock, Alice ripped herself from his arms and began to murmur to the items inside the tent as well as the tent itself. Then she was walking out stiffly while the sleeping bags folded themselves and followed behind her. Tarrant followed closely, not even blinking when the tent collapsed itself as soon as he left. “Get ready to set out for the Red Queen's castle. That's where we were gonna head before Chess disappeared. Thackery, you and McTwisp go tell the people you gathered yesterday to meet us there,” she ordered in a no nonsense voice as their camp packed itself.

The two lapines only gave curt nods before they bolted off in opposite directions, leaving the champion and her lover alone. Giving the man beside her a grim but horrified look, the blonde wrapped her arms around the purple clad male and burrowed her head in the green silk of his shirt. That was when the dam broke and terrified sobs broke from her and Tarrant wrapped gentle arms around her. “Shh, Ah'll no' le' him harm either o' ya,” he murmured in a gentle, soothing voice as he pet her hair lovingly.

“This should be the happiest day of our lives, not the most terrifying,” she whispered in a shaky voice, trembling as she kept her face pressed against his chest. The man holding her only kissed the top of her head before he removed the hand on her hair to tip her chin up.

His lips met hers in a tender but protective kiss. The hand on her back tightened, pulling her tight against him. Then he was breaking the tender embrace, shuddering slightly as he rested his paper white forehead against hers. “Ah swear t'ye Alice, if he dares to take ya Ah'll tear apart all o' Underland 'til Ah find ya,” the haberdasher hissed in a dark voice before he scooped her up in his strong arms. Making sure she was secure, Tarrant dashed to the waiting Bandersnatch and vaulted onto his back in one leap. As soon as they were settled, the giant beast gallumphed off towards the Red Queen's castle.

In the now quiet clearing, a glowing red mist formed into the torso of the Djinn. As the demonic looking creature watched the Bandersnatch run off into the distance, an evil cackle left its lips. “They are making this far too easy,” it hissed darkly before it teleported back to its master. Stayne, who had been lounging on the black, twisted looking throne, was on his feet as soon as the creature appeared.

“What news do you bring?” the insane man hissed in an eager voice, a terrifying smile on his too pale face.

“They are heading this way,” the thing growled in a darkly amused voice, smirking at its summoner as he began to let loose an utterly evil laugh.

“Excellent, walking right to us. Chessur, gather your brethren and lie in wait for them. When they arrive, make sure they are well taken care of,” the Knave ordered with a snap of his gloved fingers. The blue and gray cat, who had been lounging on the back of the throne, merely gave a nod before disappearing.

“Oh my dearest Um, the things I have planned for you,” the crazed male snarled before barking out peal after peal of sadistic laughter.

It both seemed like no time at all and that an eternity had passed until they reached the moat that surrounded the looming castle. When Iracebeth lived there it had looked intimidating enough, under Stayne's twisted influence, it looked downright hellish. Staring up at the black, twisted looking castle as she slid off Bandy's back, Alice gripped the hilt of the sword that hung at her hip. The blade sent a wave of comfort straight to her heart, making the nervous female relax almost instantly. “Don't worry dearie, Tarrant isn't the only one determined to protect you,” her katana assured in a soft voice, boosting the savior's confidence even more. Then a rough hand came down on her shoulder, making the female jolt in shock and look up to see Tarrant looking down at her with a deathly serious look.

“Stay behind mae,” he bit out, shoving her behind him with a firm, protective arm. Then the trio approached the looming doors, deciding to not wait for the army to arrive. The sooner this was ended, the better. They had only gotten a few feet before a large myriad of floating creatures appeared in front of them. At the front of the pack was Chessur, making Alice's heart sink to the pit of her stomach.

“Fair Farren Hatta,” the feline purred before the pack surged forward as one. Tarrant braced himself in front of Alice, only to have the creatures phase through him like water to surround Alice.

“Alice!” he screamed as the swirling cloud of animals disappeared with the champion. Then he was turning to throw a knife at where Chessur had been, only to hit the door. His shoulders heaved as his eyes changed to a dark crimson, his half gloved hands curling into tight, shaking fists. Then he was charging into the looming castle, a steady stream of Outlandish leaving his lips. However, when he got inside, the entire place was utterly deserted.

Slipping to his purple clad knees, the enraged, terrified milliner began to punch the ebony stone of the floor over and over. All too soon he was drawing blood but he did not stop, not even when Mally scampered out from under his hat and onto his shoulder to plead in his ear. He only stopped when Thackery and McTwisp came charging in with their army. A pair of hands stopped his movement and the crazed man whirled around to place a blade against the offender's throat. A young, green haired nymph only held up her hands in surrender, a worried look on her green tinged face. “He took mae Alice, she's pregnant,” he whispered all the fight leaving him as his body sagged and he lost consciousness.


	8. New Heights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Not too many chapters left to go here I don't think. Could probably wrap up in two or three.

She awoke among yards upon yards of black and crimson silk and was laying on what felt to be a cloud. Not even able to remember her name, the groggy blonde lifted her aching head and looked around the lavish looking room. She had no recollection of how she got here and she was only more disconcerted by the sight of a man standing in the shadows, staring at her. Sick fear and revulsion filled her at the mere glimpse of him, a fact that only served to confuse her. Like everything else, she honestly had no idea of who this man was. “Wh-where am I?” the foggy woman asked, her voice coming out as a croak due to the dryness of her throat.

“Somewhere safe. That horrid man will not touch you again,” the hidden man whispered in a voice that made her skin crawl despite his soothing tone.

“What do you mean? Who are you? Who am I? Why can't I remember anything?” the distraught female asked, clutching a black sheet to her chest as fear and distress began to flood her. While she had no worldly idea where she was, she could feel that she shouldn't be _here_ in the very marrow of her bones. Something about her companion made her feel instinctually terrified and disgusted, not a good combo for someone she was seemingly supposed to trust.

“Easy my dear, the brute gave you quite a knock on the head. I wouldn't be surprised if your memory was effected,” replied the oily, yet smooth voice as her visitor strode forward and into the light.

Immediately, something seemed off to her about the way he looked and yet he looked perfectly normal. He had two blue eyes and long black hair that was tied in a ponytail. Nothing about his face should have set off her warning bells yet looking at him felt wrong, as if she was looking at a disguise. “I am King Ivan and you are my Queen. Unfortunately we seem to be caught up in a nasty uprising orchestrated by a returning troublemaker. He's always been a bit of a problem but I never expected a full scale rebellion,” the crimson clad male whispered, a concerned look that felt wrong on his pale face.

“How do I know what you're telling me is the truth?” the suspicious female asked, her cerulean eyes narrowing. Something about this man just set everything within her off. She knew she had no basis for not trusting him right now but she decided to listen to her instincts.

“Don't you trust me? I suppose it can't be helped, after the knock you took you probably have amnesia,” 'King Ivan' sighed in a hurt voice but even that sounded faked. Everything about this screamed of deception, of illusion and she was beginning to feel the very real need to get away from here.

“Amnesia?” the nightgown wearing woman whispered, narrowing her eyes as the monarch's visage seemed to swim before her eyes. For a second, his face looked entirely different; a sadistic smirk super-imposed over his look of concern. There was also the fact that, just for a brief moment, she had also seen a heart shaped piece of metal covering his right eye. This, above anything else, caused some of her memories to return in a rush.

“No, you stay away from me! You're lying! You… you want to hurt me… to hurt…,” the confused female snarled, backing away from the tall male as she placed a protective hand over her flat stomach. Whoever this man was, he was dangerous to something very precious to her; something that felt extremely important to remember.

“Hush Mantha! You'll upset our child. You are confused and have had a trying day. If my presence causes such a state, I shall leave for your safety,” the tall man murmured in a gentle voice, just the faintest hint of contempt hidden under his worry as he bowed and slowly left the room.

As soon as the man was gone, the golden haired female placed her hands on her stomach in astonishment. He had told her she was pregnant and at least that much seemed right in some way. Still, that was the only thing that did. The name he called her, this room, everything seemed wrong; almost like a stage play. Getting to her naked feet, the confused woman went to the doors to tug on them; only to find them locked. Backing away from the blocked entry with fear bubbling inside her, the blonde simply went back to her bed to lay on it. For the time being she was trapped here. Nibbling her lower lip, she began to rub her stomach as her thoughts drifted to men that wore purple and had orange hair.

Mirana laid in her bed, black splotches spreading on her skin in ink-like patterns. The black on her dress had reached just above her ribcage and her breath came in laboring gasps. Bayard laid his head on her bed, his brown eyes fixed on the ailing monarch as her life slowly ebbed away. A being as pure as the Queen simply couldn't withstand the corruption to herself or Underland. Both were intertwined and if she died, the future would be grim for the tiny world.

Suddenly the frail female shot upright, her pure midnight eyes flying open to fix on the far wall blindly. “The skies. Search the skies,” she whispered in a voice that was more like a gentle breeze. Then she was laying back as she lost consciousness once more, another black stain appearing and spreading on her left cheek.

“Aye majesty,” the loyal hound whispered before charging off in search of Tarrant's ragtag army.

Fire, screaming, smoke, choking, burning, must run! Sitting up with a gasp, Tarrant blindly tossed a throwing knife; forcing the nymph that stood beside him to dodge. “Easy now T. Easy, you're safe,” she soothed, reaching out but not quite touching him.

“Alice, we need ta find her,” he rasped as he struggled to his feet, his blurred vision from just regaining consciousness nearly making him trip over himself.

“Steady on naow, donnae carry on so,” the green tinted female soothed, slipping into Outlandish as she rushed over to steady him and set him back on the bed.

“Yaer lass'll be soon taken care of. Fer naow, ye need to regain a bit o' yer strength,” the ethereal being whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to the milliner's sweaty forehead before pulling back to give him a worried glance.

“Yae donna unnerstand! That slurvish son of a Bandersnatch be plannin' t'use mae Alice and our unborn child in th'ritual o' th'damned,” the purple clad male protested, struggling to sit up once more. Only his extreme dizziness and blurred vision forced him to lay back down. He could feel his lover's fear and confusion through their rather new but strong connection and it ate at his sanity slowly.

What was most distressing was the fact that the current events were causing deja-vu feelings, as if memories that were long buried were trying to force themselves to the surface. Memories that were honestly better off buried. “Ease yerself Tarrant, fer her sake as well as yer own,” the nymph soothed, summoning some vines with a flick of her wrist.

“D-do I know yae?” the distraught male whispered, his red tinted, orange eyes narrowing slightly. The green female only gave him a sad look, the leaves wilting slightly on the vines covering her body.

“A long time ago. Long afore the war started and yae forgot who yae were,” she replied in a gentle voice.

Memories slammed into the tailor like a bomb going off, sending him back to days before Iracebeth had even been considered a threat. Memories of him playing a homemade guitar for this creature of nature. Memories of her becoming one of his best friends. Unfortunately, with these pleasant memories also came ones of the war. Ones he had suppressed years ago lest he honestly and truly went mad. Ones of his village burning and holding his dying, baby sister in his arms, a woman who had been his best friend and most loved relative. She was also the one who would try on any of his experiments and help him sort out the things wrong with them. She had even lived with him, due to them being virtually inseparable. Seeing her blood dribbling onto her porcelain skin, hearing her rattling last breath had driven him deep into madness. So deep, in fact, that he had to build a new personality to be in charge of his body so he wouldn't accidentally hurt those he cared about. The Hatter, the civilized mask that had become his actual personality.

Groaning, the orange haired male gripped his head in his half gloved hands. No, no Hatter was the real one and _he_ was the madness. That was the way he had always been. Yet, if that was true, why did he feel more right like this? Why did it feel like Hatter was the true madness? All of this made his head hurt and swim sickly, something he did _not_ need when Alice needed him clear headed. He would have to put his existential crisis aside for now and focus on finding Stayne. A sudden, loud howling broke him from his swirling thoughts with a jerk and he found himself breaking free of the vines that held him easily.

Mallymkun, who had been reclining on Thackery's head, was on her feet immediately; looking around for any sign of the Bloodhound. Soon Bayard was seen barreling toward their small camp, the small guard of Outlanders moving out of the way to allow him passage. The overwrought canine collapsed as soon as he was past the front line, panting raggedly as he lay on the ground and looked pleadingly up at Thackery and Mally. “Message from the Queen,” he gasped, laying on his side and simply unable to move due to extreme exhaustion. In a flash, the tiny mouse that was perched on the hare's head was running into the sick tent to fetch Tarrant and the Nymph.

When the diminutive mammal got inside, she was greeted with the sight of the hatter getting to his shaky feet and putting on his clothes despite heavy protests from the nature spirit. “I donnae care! I need t'find Alice afore that arzi has a chance t'put his plan into action,” Tarrant bit out as he slid his purple tux coat on. The flora covered female beside him only shook her head before turning her gaze to their tiny visitor. Mally took that cue to scamper up the tailor's pant leg, up his body and onto his shoulder.

“I don't suppose you need me to tell ya Bayard is here with a message from Mirana,” the rodent murmured into his ear, clinging onto his coat collar for dear life as he began to stride to the opening of the tent.

“Aye, ye donnae. Is th'message 'bout mae Alice?” snarled the agitated man as he exited the tent and his crimson gaze landed on the exhausted hound.

“I don't know Hatta,” Mally whispered, jumping slightly when her longtime friend shot a heated glare at her.

“Mae name be Tarrant, something yae bae all t'familiar with,” he snarled. Just hearing that nickname was enough to make his less wild counterpart stir. Right now he needed to remain in control. The Hatter wasn't a fighter, nowhere near. The man was more suited to using a sewing needle rather than a sword or knives. Who he was currently, on the other hand, was a seasoned warrior; a deadly force to be reckoned with. He could not afford being forced back into civility.

Speed walking towards the wheezing canid, Tarrant knelt beside the creature and placed a half gloved hand on a heaving side. “Th-the skies,” Bayard huffed before he lost the fight with his body and passed out. Awe and wonder came into the tailor's eyes as he gave the dog's fur an affectionate ruffle.

“Th'Legendary Kingdom,” he whispered, his gaze traveling to the nature spirit next to him. The vine covered female was placing a delicate hand on Bayard's short, brown fur. A faint, light green glow surrounded her hand and the canine's breathing instantly eased.

“If he has breached there, we are worse off than I thought,” the Nymph whispered, giving her old friend a worried glance. The Sky Kingdom was the last bastion of what is good and pure in Underland. A mecha of the Magickal currents that fed their entire world. It had been closely guarded by a series of spells and barriers and had gradually been forgotten about over the last eternity. Only a very select group even knew of the ancient kingdom's existence.

For some reason, Tarrant felt like the nature spirit held the answer to how they were going to reach the kingdom. Something tickled a long ago memory in the back of his mind and he found himself struggling to grasp it. Sighing, the naked woman got to her feet and plucked a strange looking flower from her green, almost grass-like hair. An action that caused the memory to blend in with this moment in a surreal mirror. “You will need the help of my dragons,” she whispered, petting the curled, red tipped, spear shaped petals of the blossom. Then his head exploded in pain as the dam around his past broke and he lost consciousness.

_'He lay with his head in a vine covered lap, smiling up at the gentle Nymph that had been a well guarded secret of his clan for generations. Long ago, when the first Hightopp had decided to stake a claim to this land, he had found a beautiful peaceful glade that held a lonely secret. Zazzemum Hightopp had been the first being she had seen in centuries and she had both been terrified and ecstatic to see him. Zazzemum, on the other hand, had been struck speechless by her beauty and kindness. When he had passed, the secret of the glade became a Hightopp birthright of sorts._

_Sighing contently, Tarrant found himself remembering when his father had first introduced them. She had fallen in love with him, doting on him like a second mother. As he grew older, their relationship evolved. She never quite stopped being maternal to him but it soon became obvious that she had begun to care for him in a much different manner. “The wind blows ill,” she whispered, her delicate fingers moving through his wild mane of hair; effectively breaking his pleasant thoughts._

_Rolling to sit up and clasp her small hands, the tailor gave the top of one hand a light kiss. “Th'sun shines, th'birds sing! Wha' coul' go wrong this day?” Tarrant asked, caressing her silk skin in tiny circles. She only smiled sadly before plucking a 'Dragon Lily' from her hair and petting the petals. With that small motion, the atmosphere in the glade became oppressive with tension._

_“The dragons say ' **he'** approaches,” she whispered, fear coming into her verdant eyes. Even the trees around them shuddered in fear, a cold wind quickly replacing the warmth of earlier. _

_“It cannae bae. No one can tame th'Jabberwock,” Tarrant hissed, nervousness beginning to come into his green eyes._

_“Tame, no, but gain the loyalty of, certainly,” the nature sprite whispered, giving the fire resembling flower back into her grass-like hair._

_“Will yer dragons fight?” the wild haired male hissed out, his eyes gaining an orange rim as his tone became urgent. She only gave him a sad smile before she began to fade into the ether. Looking up at the quickly withering glade, Tarrant couldn't help but feel a sick dread for all those he held dear.'_

“He's not waking up!” came a nervous, familiar male voice.

“He's fine Nivins,” came a soothing female voice as a cool hand pressed to his heated brow. Groaning, Tarrant slowly sat up as he pressed the heel of one hand to his milky forehead. As he slowly came to, memories of what he 'dreamed' came back to him and filled his head with a throbbing pain.

“What in th' seven bae goin' on,” he burred in a thick brogue, his vision swimming as the screams of his sister and mother filled his ears. No, no, no! He couldn't lose to his madness now! He had to hold on, for Alice, for his unborn child!

“Yae bae rememberin' wha' came afore th'Hatta. Yae bae rememberin' who yae once were as well as wha' happened,” replied the Nymph from her position beside him.

“But I _am_ the Hatter,” came a lost, confused sounding lisp as the confused male squeezed his eyes shut.

“Now is not the time for this! We have to save Alice,” McTwisp whispered in a nervous voice, rubbing his paws together as he looked around with wide, pink eyes.

“Alice….,” came a dark brogue, signaling the return of Tarrant's more violent, crazed side. Curling his fingerless gloved hands into tight fists, the warrior focused his now crimson gaze on his long ago companion.

“The dragons will be here soon but they will take some convincing to work with you,” the forest sprite replied, a sad, resigned expression in her eyes. Eyes that resembled a meadow on a bright summer day. Nodding, the milliner slowly got to his feet and straightened his purple jacket before striding purposefully out of the tent.

She came to once again, feeling more out of place than ever. The room around her had almost seemed to deteriorate and yet the veneer of what she saw before was imposed over the ruin. It was almost like having double vision, seeing two realities at once instead of twin images. Then, as if sensing the disparity, the room fixed itself to look brand new again; almost making her wonder if she was going insane. All of this felt like a fever dream and all she wanted to do was wake up. Sighing, she rubbed her still flat stomach before looking around the room some more.

The doors to her room came flying open with a loud bang, the man from before coming in. For just a moment, his face was a pale, twisted, one eyed portrait of hatred and insanity. Then it returned to the visage she had first been greeted with. Her head starting to ache from the contradictions in her sight, the confused blonde watched the monarch with a feeling of apprehension. “The blasted rouge is coming after you and our child!” he hissed in a worried voice that held just a hint of hatred. For some reason his words caused hope to blossom within her and she found herself smiling.

Just the mention of the man coming after her made her feel better for some unknown reason. A small, pleasant tingle radiated from a small spot on her neck as she found herself thinking of orange hair and tea parties. “What has he done to turn your heart from me dear one?” came a sad husk by her ear, making her startle away from the King who was much too close to her. His blue eyes stared at her with heartbreak clear in them. Yet, under that, there was a seething, barely hidden hatred.

“Do all of our years in a happy marriage mean nothing to you?” he hissed in a heartfelt tone, his hands coming up to grip her arms just a touch too hard. Despite how emotional those words were, the confused female found herself disbelieving of all of them.

In fact, her very skin crawled at his touch and she had to fight the extreme urge to vomit. How was she to believe what he was telling her when her entire body seemed to reject it on a subconscious level. “Get your hands off me,” her voice hissed in a much stronger tone than she had ever suspected. King Ivan pulled back, his concerned mask falling away for very real rage as his appearance rippled and morphed.

“Fine, if you want things the hard way then so be it,” he snarled, waving his hand as pain exploded in her head and caused her to go unconscious. His one eyed glare was the last thing she saw before her world went black.

A large, pearl colored dragon landed delicately in the clearing, it's long, snake-like body almost swimming as it came in. Long whiskers floated in the air alongside its long body as its gentle, blue eyes gazed down at the group from above the treetops. Lowering its head down to be level with the humans, the gigantic creature smiled with a canine-like muzzle. A long, white mane flowed from the top of its head to the end of its tail, glittering in the sunlight. _“Fair Farren Tarrant,”_ came a wise, female voice from inside their heads, enveloping the entire group with a feeling of comfort.

“Lilsa,” the tailor whispered in a reverent voice, slipping to one knee as his very blood forced him to remember her. She and his clan had been joined in a close bond that went to the very soul. If his clan ever went extinct, she would die from the strength of the tie between them.

 _“It has been a long time little Hightopp,”_ she purred, her gem-like eyes closing as she pushed her huge face against him. Her pearl colored, deer-like horns rubbed against him harmlessly, the ends blunt as a spoon.

“Too long droma,” he sighed in a tear-filled, almost lost sounding voice as he clung to the dragon like a found child.

 _“Still your tears little one. There is still much to be done before our hellos can be said. My clan will once again come to your aid,”_ Lilsa purred as several more of her kind in varying colors began to land. One by one, the graceful creatures allowed ten soldiers to mount until only Thackery and the Bandersnatch was left.

“Ah ain't doin' eet,” the nervous hare hissed, twitching as he backed away from the green dragon that stared at him neutrally. The Bandersnatch was also raising his own stink, growling threateningly at the purple and pink dragons that watched from a safe distance.

“It be fer Alice. She be needin' everyone we c'n give her,” Tarrant burred from his perch on Lilsa, smiling when his words had the desired effect.

“Och, tha' be playin' dirty,” the brown furred lapine groaned as he approached his dragon in a rather jittery manner. The striped beast likewise complied begrudgingly, laying down and letting the pair gently lift him. Soon the entire flight was in the air, Lilsa leading the way to a distant but distinct formation of clouds.

 _“If he has corrupted the guard, we are in for a hell of a fight,”_ the pearl colored dragon warned, her long body swimming through the air.

“Aye and wi'ou' th'bloody cat we'll be in trouble. All we c'n hope f'r is tha' they weren' able t'be turned,” Tarrant hissed, palming one of his knives as they slowly got closer to the huge group of clouds. The guard of the Ancient Kingdom was legendary for dispatching of threats. If they still had Chess, they would have at least had a way to distract them. If any had been turned, a good chunk of their army would probably end up dead before they even breached the cloud cover.

Soon, that question was answered for them by an eerie silence as they broke past the obscuring wall of vapor. The floating castle was spookily quiet, no signs of life whatsoever as the flight grew closer and closer. It all seemed too still, making the large group tense and ill at ease as they closed in on the flying ruins. Just as they got close enough to land, a fireball came out of nowhere; barely dodged by Lilsa. Looking in the direction of the attack, Tarrant saw a huge, armor cover dragon heading right towards them; death in it's burning, red eyes.


	9. Fight for the Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!!: Gore. Extreme Violence. Forced Miscarriage. Loss of Sanity. More extreme bits marked with **

The dragon they faced off with couldn't be any more different than the ones they rode on. He was a lot larger; bulky, muscular and built more like a lizard than a serpent. It's bat-like wings blotted out the sun as it's frill framed head reared back. The long, hooked muzzle opened, revealed roiling, boiling fire. Then the fire was surging towards them like a stream and Lilsa had to swerve out of the way. _“Isyldr!”_ the pearl colored dragon cried sorrow and desperation in her chime-like voice. This seemed to make the larger, more frightening looking dragon halt in place; a pained look crossing it's red scaled face.

 _“Lilsa, I cannot control myself,”_ came a distraught sounding rumble that sounded like a mountain shifting. Then he was unleashing an unholy death cry and charging for one of the flight, slamming right into a moss green serpent. The unfortunate reptile let loose an absolutely heart rending shriek, making everyone within miles clap their hands over their ears just to shut out the sound.

 _“No, not Yaounta,”_ hissed the matriarch, ignoring the passenger on her back in favor for heading right for the crimson horror holding one of her hatchlings.

**The looming dragon paid her no mind, tearing the serpentine creature in half. The unfortunate being was still very much alive and let loose such a shriek of pain that the very Under itself shuddered in sympathy. Long intestines and still attached muscle draped from his body as he yowled his agony to the heavens. Letting loose a screech of her own, Lilsa gathered energy from the Magick around them and launched the glowing ball at the screaming head of her child.

 _“Forgive me my son, you will be out of your pain soon,”_ she whispered just as the ball of energy collided with his head and disintegrated it.**

Pearls and diamonds rolled freely down the dragoness' cheeks as she gave Tarrant an apologetic look. _“Forgive me child, I do not have the time to let you off my back,”_ Lilsa sighed in a voice full of heartbreak and rage only a mother would know. Then she was launching herself at the fairytale beast, her long body swimming in the air as she skillfully dodged blasts of fire. Releasing a hellish scream the would make the deities tremble, the wronged matron straightened her body into a stiff rod as bright light began to gather around her and her passenger.

Tarrant only hid himself in her protective mane, knowing all too well the fury and sorrow his Droma must be feeling. Narrowing his eyes as the light around them grew painfully bright, the wild haired warrior placed a shielding arm in front of his face just before they sliced through Isyldr's arm like a hot knife through butter. To be more accurate, it was the aura around them that did the damage; severing the appendage at the shoulder just before they passed through. Hot, lava-like blood rained around them from the wound, most of it deflected by the glowing light but some getting through anyway.

As the substance hit Lilsa's snake-like scales, she let out whimpers of pain as it instantly ate through her skin. The milliner on her back was not idle during this time, doing his best to brush the fluid off before it did too much damage. The cruel looking dragon let out a screech of agony before whirling and spewing another jet of fire that Lilsa easily dodged. _“Stay buried in my mane,”_ she murmured, giving Tarrant a horrible feeling about what she was going to do. With a bone chilling battle roar, the serpentine dragoness was speeding at the hulking crimson nightmare as light began to gather around her once more.

**Grimacing, the tailor ducked himself into the flowing hair along her back and braced himself. In seconds they were shooting through the creature's chest, burning blood splattering around them as they exited. Yet, despite the huge amounts of viscera and gore burning her skin like acid, Lilsa directed their descent to the city crashing into a marble landing platform. Tarrant was off her in a split second, frantically wiping off the substance that was rapidly dissolving her scales and eating her alive. _“It is no use Droso. I am a goner. All I ask is that you put me out of my misery,”_ the dying matron rumbled in a pain filled sigh, her long, elegant whiskers eaten down to the bone and nerves.

More than half of her scales were already gone, her muscle quickly following and she was still very much alive and conscious. The milliner flexed his hands before he withdrew a throwing knife. “Forgive mae Droma. May yer spirit join th'stars,” he whispered before lunging forward and cutting her jugular with one swift stroke. Gold colored blood spewed out from the wound but her gentle eyes held deep gratefulness.**

 _“Thank you child of my soul”,_ whispered her voice on the wind as her eyes slowly closed. In a flash of bright, white light, her body disappeared into sparkles; the glittering trail heading to the sky. As one, the flight let out a low, mournful cry. Then rain began to pour down, as if the Under too mourned the loss of the great dragoness.

Tarrant stared up at the sky for a few seconds before scooping Mally off his shoulder and setting her down on the recently torn up marble. “Ah'll no' lose anyone else,” he snarled in a thick brogue before he turned on his heel and ran into the huge, abandoned, floating city. His destination was straight ahead and he didn't deviate once, easily disposing of deformed, warped creatures that had been sent to kill him. Each creature had been twisted into a half formed demon, the evil permeating the Magickal currents having forcibly changed them. He couldn't let that fact deter him though, not with Lilsa dead and Alice in danger. A grim, furious look was on his pale face, faint tears rolling down his pallid cheeks as he killed beings he knew just to get to Stayne.

Her head hurt and it felt like she was hanging suspended by her wrists. Groaning and rolling her sore neck, Alice opened her eyes to assess her situation. At first everything was a huge blur but she was at least able to tell her limbs were spread eagled and she was suspended vertically. Thankfully the former champion's vision cleared rapidly as she was able to make out the room she was in. It was huge and empty, the walls painted a dark black. The only illumination was from some red light thrown off by black candles scattered throughout the huge space. She appeared to be suspended in the middle by some rough rope and she was completely naked. An odd symbol had been scratched in her stomach by what had to be claws and beneath her feet was a large star in a red circle, painted in blood.

All at once all her memories returned and she found herself feeling utterly afraid. Stayne had kidnapped her and was going to do something to her to force her to miscarry her child, all in an effort to corrupt and warp the Underland into a hellish place. In a second she was struggling against the rope, despair and terror rising within her when they didn't so much as budge. “Ah, you're awake my little 'champion',” came a mocking, slimy voice, drawing her attention to a dark silhouette by her right side. Then the Knave was stepping into the wavering candlelight, a cruel smile on his pale face.

Alice gave him a look of utter hatred before rearing back her head and spitting in his loathsome face. Stayne didn't seem bothered by her show of disrespect and violence, in fact it only seemed to make his smile larger. Then he was backhanding her hard before letting out a howl of darkly insane laughter. “Oh that was a mistake my little flower. I had half a mind to be merciful but I can see my efforts will go unappreciated,” he growled, the horrible Djinn forming beside him and giving her an absolutely hungry look.

“Can we start yet sire?” came the thing's eager rasp, making her skin crawl from the horror of her situation. There was nothing she could do to get free or even protect herself. All she could hope for was that Tarrant and the others would show up before something irreversible happened. Not only her life was at stake but the entire existence of the Under.

“No, we will wait until the Queen's haberdasher shows up to see this. I want him to be here to witness this,” the crazed man hissed, his one eye glinting with terrible amusement as he let his gaze wander over her naked body. Instead of sobbing or showing how petrified she was, the fierce woman jutted her chin out at her captor and gave him a glare that would rival Iracebeth.

Stayne only laughed in response, summoning Chessur with a wave of his hand. If the feline had any memory or caring about her predicament, Alice was wholly unable to tell. Her former friend gave her a look one would give a coffee table before curling around the Knave's broad shoulders. All at once it was too much to bear and her carefully constructed guard crumbled as she began to sob. If Chess was lost to them, the fight was already won. Even if Tarrant came now, there would be no stopping the ritual and the knowledge made her heart clench for the strange land she so loved.

As a child she had often been told her experiences here had been nothing but a dream, that all of her cherished friends were but in her head. As she got older, Alice had been forced to accept what they had told her or risk being committed in a rubber room for the rest of her life; something her father would have never stood for had he been alive. It had gotten to the point that she had been convinced she was dreaming for most of her second visit. It was only near the end that she had realized what was happening was very real, bringing back all those memories of her childhood. Yet it hadn't been the fight with the Jabberwocky that had cemented the reality of this realm to her, it had been her very real heartbreak when she had to leave Hatter once more.

A sudden, loud bang announced said tailor's entrance into the front hall. It was only a rapidly placed spell weaved by the Djinn that kept her from calling out to warn her lover. Yet, even if she had been able to call out, she doubted that would have mattered to Tarrant. With everything he had told her before she had been abducted, she wouldn't blame the seamster for tearing this place apart until she was safe. If she was in his position, she would be doing the very same thing. “Sounds like your other half has managed to make his way here like I thought he would. One thing I can say for Tarrant, he was never short on connections,” the leather clad male rumbled turning to face the door just as the wild haired male burst into the room.

As soon as he saw Alice, _his_ Alice, strung up in the middle of the room and wounded; Tarrant's vision went a deep shade of red and a cry of pure rage ripped from his chest. Then he was charging forward while still screaming, only making it a few steps before he was frozen in place by the monstrous Djinn's power. “So good of you to join us Hightopp. Don't worry about your friends ruining the party, my friend has already made sure they can't interrupt,” the evil, insane male assured in a darkly amused voice before prowling to stand in front of the bound, suspended blonde.

“If yae lay one finger on mae Alice yae'll live t'regret it,” the frozen tailor snarled, not even able to struggle as the towering man placed a leather gloved hand on Alice's flat stomach. Then her world was filled with agonizing pain as the castle began to shake and crumble around them.

**It felt as if a rusty meat hook had been lodged in her abdomen and was pulling. Scream after scream of agony left her lips, her upper thighs beginning to tremble from the sheer magnitude of her pain. Then there was a ripping feeling from inside her and she heard the patter of blood hitting the stone as her unborn child began to leave her body. “Alice! Yae fuckin' frumious destyrn!” Tarrant screamed from across the room, sounding like he had nearly torn out his vocal cords from the sheer volume of his voice. Stayne only cackled as wave after wave of thick, nauseating pain radiated from Alice's contracting womb.**

“Witness as I give birth to a new Underland through the help of one meant to be it's savior,” the twisted male laughed, turning his back on the moaning female to grin at the fuming tailor.

As soon as the monster and his Djinn were distracted, Chessur formed by her head. “Oh sweet child, how I wish I could have spared you this pain,” he whispered in her ear before floating down to the blood coated runes beneath her feet. Alice was in too much pain and shock to even realize what was going on, drifting in and out of consciousness while the evaporator worked below her.

“Hold on now Alice, it will not be long,” the gray and blue cat whispered, placing two paws on her abdomen and whispering something in a guttural language.

All of this went unnoticed by all other parties, the three males too focused on glaring eachother down. Tarrant was so furious he was shaking despite the spell he was under and he growled viciously as the Knave drew closer. The smell of Alice's blood was nearly driving him mad, the knowledge that it was the life of his child only making him that much closer to fully snapping. “If I evar git free o' this, Ah'll take great pleasure in makin' ya die as slow as Ah c'n,” snarled the mostly crazed male, unable to move as his nemesis raised a hand to pat his cheek in a condescending manner. It was at that moment that the Djinn beside the dark male wavered just slightly, allowing the milliner free and all Hell to break loose.

In moments the palace was flooded with the small army that had been frozen outside. Yet, as they entered the room, none of them made a move to interfere with the fighting pair. The Djinn itself seemed to be fading in and out of opacity while the two grappled, making the newcomers very confused. One moment it had seemed like Stayne had very firmly won, now it seemed like things had inexplicably turned in their favor. No one noticed the barely visible cat gently cutting an unconscious Alice down.

Chessur's green eyes moved from side to side as brethren of all shapes and sizes appeared to catch the falling champion. There was one other spell that such a horrible sacrifice could be used for and that was for summoning the patron deity of Underland., a being the very much did not like to be involved in mortal affairs. It saw it's involvement as unfair and preferred to let the beings decide their own fate while it made sure their souls were well taken care of. From the looks of things, the ancient creature was well on it's way and was righteously pissed off. Grinning despite the grimness of the situation, Chess lead the cloud of varying evaporating species to the sidelines to lay Alice down. Then he turned to watch the 'show'.

The longer Tarrant fought the more he slipped into absolute madness. If anyone dared to intervene or got in the way, he was very likely to kill them no matter if they were friend or foe. He darted in for quick hits on the Knave, drawing his fair share of blood and taking little damage in return. In his rage, he never noticed his soulmate being cut down and moved, nor did he noticed the bright, white light now coming from the bloody symbols. Sweeping out with a leg, he knocked Stayne onto his back and was just about to lunge in for the kill when everything simply froze in place once more.

 _“Thou silly mortals… Not one of you has the sense I graced you with,”_ came a booming, exasperated, voice that seemed to be both genders and yet neither. Then a towering, quadruped, deer-like creature appeared. It's branch-like antlers scraped the ceiling and it's face seemed to be all species and yet a species all it's own. Just looking upon it would drive a sane man mad, it was a good thing all in Underland were already there to begin with. Fur that resembled branches of a weeping willow draped it's body and it's aura filled the room with a feeling of infinite patience.

“Great One,” everyone whispered at once, the Djinn being the only one who said nothing. The demonic creature looked at the towering being with a mixture of hatred and terror.

The huge deity only smiled down at them bore it's galaxy filled eyes moved to the red, incorporeal creature that had been the driving force behind most that had happened. Then the deer-like creature was moving toward the evil being, it's hooves making a clacking noise on the stone floor. _“Rylithe, up to your old tricks again. Will you not be satisfied until you see everything I have created is laying in ruins?”_ the looming God whispered, a look of love on it's ever changing face. Before the Djinn could answer, it was surrounded by a bright, white light.

“No, please! You can't imprison me again! Do you know how long it was until Stayne found me?” the demon begged, a look of true fear crossing it's frowning, red features.

 _“I am sorry child of aether but I cannot allow you roam free. Your kind is well known for causing trouble when unchained,”_ the slightly glowing deity replied, it's voice full of sadness as the Djinn slowly disappeared; forming into a red cloud of smoke. A small, plain looking bottle appeared beside the cloud, seeming to suck in the miasma before simply transporting elsewhere.

Once the Djinn was gone, the 'Great One' turned to face the crowd of humans. It's kind, sad gaze landed on the prone trapped Stayne. When the deity had appeared, Tarrant had been frozen in the act of pinning the Knave down to cut him with the throwing knives kept all over his tux. _“Child of Eve… I cannot spare you from your fate. Though it pains me to see any living creature die, your crimes warrant punishment,”_ the quadruped murmured, it's gentle voice full of sympathy and sorrow as the entire room unfroze at once. Wasting no time, the enraged tailor rapidly bound Stayne's hands and feet before the shock wore off. Then he was getting to his feet, giving the prone man an absolutely malicious look.

**“Fer wha' ye've done to mae Alice, Ah will make sure you suffer afore Ah give ya the privilege of dyin',” the crazed haberdasher hissed, flicking one of his knives into a half-gloved hand. Then he launched himself on Stayne, cutting off small bits of his skin to make a hat out of while cackling insanely. The bound male let out screams of agony as bits of his face was peeled off by Tarrant's skilled hands. Still giggling like a madman, the tailor rapidly sewed the bloody strips into stylish cap, placing it on the skinned male's head. Then the tux wearing male was sitting back on his haunches as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Oh tis definitely yae bu' tis missin' somethin',” the completely mad milliner cooed, his eyes the dark crimson of freshly spilled blood. The still conscious Stayne continued to scream beneath him, blood pouring from the exposed muscle of his face. Tarrant paid none of this any mind, getting off the bound man's torso to crouch by his side. With deft, orange stained fingers, the hatter was undoing the Knave's leather pants to expose his flaccid manhood.

“No, please! Not that!” the panicked male begged in a voice clogged by pain. The orange haired madman only giggled while shaking his head.

“Tis far too late fer any o' that naow. Was too late th'moment yae laid a finger on mae Alice's head,” the lithe, pale male hissed, grabbing Stayne's package by the scrotum and lifting it to expose the base. With one move, he severed the organ; whistling when blood spurted free like a geyser. The demanned Knave let loose a girlish shriek as the milliner jauntily placed the bleeding manhood on the hat.

“Much better!” Tarrant declared before descending into absolutely bone chilling laughter. The bound bleeding man could only scream, his blood pooling beneath his butt as agony singed through his body.**

Ignoring the horrifying happenings, the 'Great One' slowly approached the prone Alice and her furry guardian. _“Chesire, you were always clever. If I were you, I would flee while I still had my fur. I doubt the Hightopp will be understanding of your methods,”_ the God rumbled, amusement in it's omni-present voice. Chessur only shook his large head, his fur now a somber, monochromatic black and gray.

“I will not leave. If I could have thought of any other way, I would have done it,” the floating feline sighed, rubbing Alice's sweat covered face with a gentle paw.

 _“It is not your fault child of vapor. If you had not changed the runes, no one would have been able to stop the Djinn,”_ sighed the 'Great One', lowering its face to Alice and closing its eyes. Soon the unconscious woman was surrounded by a bright light as all her wounds were healed and her body clothed.

“Yae two faced bloody rat!” announced Tarrant's change in focus and the pair found themselves looking at the tux wearing male as he charged toward them. In seconds he closed the distance and yet the guilt ridden feline made no move to escape.

“Do what you see fit my friend. I cannot help but think there was something else I could have done. Something to prevent what was done to this poor child,” the contrite cat whispered, the sounds of Stayne's screams slowly tapering off in the background.

The tone of the feline's voice seemed to snap the haberdasher out of his wild insanity just a bit and he halted to give his once friend a considering look. The deity Chessur had summoned merely watched, making no move to stop whatever happened next. Though it had the power, it would not be fair to meddle in the affairs of these mortals. “D-don't hurt him Tarrant,” came a weak plea, drawing the attention of the trio. Alice looked up at all three of them, her gaze mostly focused on her lover as she began to pet the guilt ridden evaporator. The orange haired male only heaved a sigh before scooping her up into his arms.

“Yae healed her din yae?” the milliner whispered, his once again range gaze moving back to the floating felis.

“I had to do at least that much. I could have prevented everything that happened, I could have take her from here sooner,” the stripped cat murmured, slowly rising to the air he kept his gaze on the floor.

 _“If you had interfered any sooner, there would have been no stopping the corruption of the Under, as I have already told you,”_ the deer-like God rumbled, drawing the attention of the mortals in the room.

 _“Only I could have stopped the Djinn and only I can return the White One's Magick to her,”_ the glowing being continued, it's green fur fluttering as a white light pulsed from its body in a radial wave. In an instant, the atmosphere changed back to normal. Yet, despite this encouraging sign, all in the room knew this was just the beginning of the healing.

 _“I must leave my children. All I ask is you watch over what I have given you,”_ the towering creature whispered, giving off an aura of love before simply disappearing.

“Tarrant, I just wanna go home,” the blonde whispered in a weak, broken voice, burrowing into the hatter's orange silk clad chest. The milliner swayed in place, his heart sinking as he took her words quite literally. Yet, after all she had been through he could hardly blame her.

“Donnae worry mae Alice. As soon as yae've rested we'll bae sendin' ya back Above,” he assured as he carried her out of the room that was full of the scent of blood and death.

“What about that slime's body?” came a protest, drawing the tailor's attention.

“Le' th'guardians have his useless carcass,” the Outlander hissed, before he continued his trek outside.

“Do you really want to get rid of me so badly?” came a soft, quiet voice, making the orange haired male stop and look around for a few seconds. When he realized it was Alice that had spoken, he gave her a look so full of shock it was very nearly comical.

“Git rid o' yae? Wha' in th'Seven are yae talkin' about?” he burred, his voice tinged with astonishment as he mounted a teal colored, serpentine dragon.

“You were just saying you were going to send me Above,” the former Tradeswoman replied, sounding confused herself as she tilted her head to one side.

“Did yae no' say yae wanted t'go home?” the perplexed male replied as the dragon beneath them rose into the sky.

“I meant _our_ home,” she replied, disbelief in her voice. She honestly couldn't believe how he had jumped to such a conclusion but was much too tired to express it. She had been through a lot today and right now she just wanted to stay in her beloved's arms. Her beloved… it was still odd to think of him like that but doing so made her feel warm and happy on the inside.

Tarrant could only stare down at the woman in his arms, happiness and relief rising within him. Despite everything that had happened, she wanted to stay here; with him. She had called his generational lands her home. Just the thought of it made him want to kiss her all over but he restrained himself. After what his Alice had been through, she needed to rest. Thankfully she was soon slipping off into sleep, the man holding her keeping a close watch as the flight flew to Mamoreal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I apologize for the darkness and the graphicness here. I have never flinched from details, no matter how unpleasant to write.


	10. The Healing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Well this has certainly been a wild ride for me as an author. This story got a lot more deep than I ever expected, getting into things I would have never imagined. There were honestly times I questioned whether or not I had the talent to pull this off but I feel I did a decent job. It has been a long, strange journey, but I hope you have enjoyed taking it with me.

Tarrant's red rimmed eyes kept traveling to the waning Alice as the blonde seemed to almost sway in the kneeling position she had assumed. Even Mirana seemed concerned, despite how weak and sickly she still seemed. Some black still splotched her dress and skin but was gradually fading as Underland slowly started to restore itself. “You two have done well and deserve some much needed rest,” the monarch suggested, letting the condition of her ailing kingdom slide for now. The pair before her seemed damaged in many ways and she could sense they needed some time to heal. For now, her armies and the group that had helped defeat Stayne would have to be enough. She simply wouldn't risk their mental well-being any further than she already had.

“Thank ya majesty,” the milliner burred, the presence of his 'madness' making everyone flinch away from him. The longer he stayed like this, the more the tailor thought the Hatter part of him was the true madness; a shield to protect others from his more violent urges that came from what he had gone through during the war. The longer he was like this, the more right this state of being was beginning to feel to him.

Without another word to the fearful crowd, the orange haired male scooped his all too silent soulmate into his purple clad arms. Then he was charging back out into the courtyard, peppering his treasure's face with urgent kisses. “Yae'll bae alrigh' mae Alice, yae have t'bae,” he rasped as he vaulted onto Bandy's striped back and kicked his furry sides. The massive beast grunted in protest, giving the seamster a withering glance before charging off towards his home. While the monster ran, Tarrant kept his gaze fixed on the disturbingly still female in his arms. On the way back from the floating ruins, the former champion had withdrawn into herself more and more; almost as if she was trying to escape from reality.

It was only a few more moments before they reached the small hut Tarrant called home and the lithe male was vaulting himself off Bandy's back in his eagerness to get Alice inside and taken care of. First he laid her on the couch, which gave the stunned female a gentle pat on the head. Then he was moving into the kitchen and ordering the utensils to make a strong cup of tea. The Brandy suggested adding a shot of itself, something the flustered male agreed to heartily. After that was taken care of, he was moving back into the living room to pull his nearly catatonic lover onto his lap. “Donnae worry, Ah'll bae takin' care o' yae,” burred the worried male, brushing her golden locks out of her expressionless face; carefully feeding her tea when it was brought to him.

The weeks felt endless and the milliner felt himself drawing near the end of his rope for each day there was no response from Alice. Every day it was the same thing, he would feed her and talk to her; only to get little to no reaction from his withdrawn soulmate. He could feel his own soul sickening from his distress and he found himself seriously considering taking the ex-champion Above. At least there were doctors there that could help the female instead of the useless waiting. The only downside was he was unsure if she would come back, a fate he was unwilling to consider. Without her near, he would simply die from heartbreak; unable to motivate himself to do anything but sleep.

Sighing, the painfully thin, weary looking male sat up and looked at the doll that was once his beloved. Her blue eyes only stared up at the ceiling, her face as expressionless as the day he had killed Stayne. What she had been put through had broken her fundamentally and the tailor found himself at a loss for how to help her. A faint barking from downstairs broke him out of his sad thoughts and the nightshirt wearing male shook himself before heading down. Once at the floor level, Tarrant swung open the door to reveal Bayard sitting on his stoop; a proud Mally perched on his furry head. “Has there been any change?” the sad looking canine asked, worry in his brown eyes.

“Nay,” the wild haired male whispered, his heart clenching in his chest as he slowly swung the door closed. As soon as the latch clicked, he was sinking to his knees as a ragged sob ripped its way from his chest.

He was so caught up in his fear and misery, he never heard the quiet footsteps approaching him from behind. The only thing that jolted him out of his own mind was the feeling of a warm body pressing against his back. “Hey Tarrant,” came an apologetic whisper by his ear, making his heart swell with terrible hope.

“Alice,” his whispered in a half broken voice, almost afraid to turn around. He had been… seeing things a bit lately due to missing his other half so much. She had still been present but the shell left behind had been no more Alice than the pillows on the bed she laid on.

“I'm sorry for keeping you waiting like a ninny,” she whispered, soft lips pressing to his racing pulse. He was turning in a flash, his hands cupping her pale face as his lips crashed into hers with a rushed urgency.

“Alice,” he whispered over and over again between kisses, tears flowing down his gaunt cheeks as her arms wrapped around her neck. Then he was scooping her into his arms and carrying her up the stairs, his lips not leaving hers for longer than a second.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _Weeks Later_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tarrant sighed as he glared at the stubborn villagers before him. Many had been deeply corrupted by Stayne, morphing into monstrous deformations that had little loyalty to the White Queen. Even the trees seemed to bear the crown ill-will, doing their level best to impede their journey to the tiny hamlet. The only reason they had been sent was to try to attain some sort of peace with the tiny town. They had only been there five minutes when someone hucked a stone at a still fragile Alice.

The normally tough female had flinched heavily, coming very close to slipping back into catatonia. Unfortunately that state had been fairly common in the first days of her recovery, causing the female to blank out at the slightest bit of stress. It had taken three weeks for that to settle down enough for her to even leave their house. The fact that they found out she was pregnant once again soon after her coming out of her first bout certainly hadn't helped matters. So when that stone had flown at the shaken blonde, it had taken everything within the tailor not to gut the offender. “Ah c'n see there'll be no talkin' t' this lot,” rasped the irate milliner as he turned Bandy around and simply left.

“I'm sorry,” whispered a shy voice from behind him as the large beast slowly made it's way to Mamoreal.

“There be nothin; t'bae sorry fer,” the brightly dressed tailor assured, his orange eyes glittering down at her fondly.

Since their return, Hatter had made less and less appearances; eventually becoming nothing more than a civil mask he put on to avoid alarm. As the pair traveled in silence, they found themselves remembering the day the truth about Hatter had been uncovered. They had been cuddled together after making love when Tarrant's memories had returned with a rush. At one time, he had once acted like the carefree tailor that he used as a mask. The war had ruined him, driving him into a madness so deep that he was still considered to be far too violent to be the actual personality of the body he inhabited. In the end, Mirana had drawn forth the tittering, peaceful side of himself; forcing him into the background.

Bandy skidding to a stop drew the tailor out of his memories and he gave the looking castle a wary look. So far his eyes hadn't given him away and he hadn't been forced back into the hollow, insane existence of Hatter. Hatter who rambled and spoke nonsense, often acting more like a child than a man. Hatter who was too timid to even think of the notion of sex, let alone with the champion of Underland. Due to this horrifying possibility, Tarrant had begun sending Alice in for them both. Yet he knew it was only a matter of time before this was seen as strange and he was found out. After all this time of finally being able to feel his full gamut of emotions, the idea of returning to his earlier carefree existence honestly terrified him. “You'll be found out sooner or later,” came a sympathetic purr by his ear, echoing his deepest fears as soon as Alice had disappeared into the palace.

Whipping his orange haired head around, Tarrant narrowed his eyes at the pink and purple feline that appeared partially beside him. A large head rest on a pair of crossed, furry arms as the feline grinned at him. “Ah'll no' be goin' back,” the haberdasher gritted out, crimson swirling in his eyes as his temper rose.

“I'm not saying you should. You should just be aware that Mirana has already gotten suspicious. Do you have any ideas for how to plead your case?” the half visible felis reasoned, extending his claws to examine them in an almost bored manner.

“Yae know very well Ah donnae,” the seething Outlander hissed, the red in his eyes turning a dark maroon color as his jaw tensed. Just having this conversation was putting him on edge, so much so that he started having very dark thoughts. Thoughts like killing all in the Under before he allowed himself to be muted like that again. Mirana had meant well but had never realized it was a mistake, that she had allowed the wrong part of him to take over.

The sight of Alice approaching with a white figure close behind made him snap out of his thoughts, apprehension and rage beginning to fill him. “Peace Tarrant. Our champion would not put one she loved so much into danger,” the evaporator assured, placing a paw on a tense shoulder. The tux wearing male only huffed slightly, squaring his purple clad shoulders as the pair got closer. No matter what happened, he would trust his soulmate's judgment.

“Good afternoon Ha… I mean Tarrant. Our dear Alice has informed me of a great injustice I have committed upon you. Would you please come down so I can properly ask for your forgiveness?” the nearly pearlescent monarch pleaded, her dark eyes wide and pull of deep guilt and sorrow. The stunned tailor could only stare down at his quick, his mouth hanging open for a few seconds.

When his orange gaze moved to his beloved, the savior of their land only gave him a small smile. Of all the things to happen, he certainly hadn't been expecting something like this. Straightening his worn top hat, the male slid off the panting beast and gave his Queen a courtly bow. “Ha… Tarrant, I was made to realize that I made a mistake when I used my Magic to force Hatter forward. Alice has told me you were merely crazed with grief and that my mistake was an easy one to make. It does not excuse the harm I have done to you or our relationship. I never wanted you to fear me,” Mirana whispered, looking exceedingly contrite as she bowed before a man she had long considered a friend.

The crazed tailor couldn't help but feel a bit stunned as he stared at the prostrated Queen. Then he was moving forward and pulling her upright, discomfiture all over his pale features. “Please, don't bow to me. You never meant me any harm, you thought you were helping me,” he lisped gently, a bit of his more tame side coming forward. Despite Hatter being his true madness, he had also been the lucidity. In time, the two would more than likely become one once more, bringing Tarrant back to a state of pseudo-normality for the first time in a long time. Mirana only smiled before pulling her haberdasher into a tight hug.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _First Month_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tarrant was beside himself with worry. It had been days since Alice had been able to hold any food down and he had even sent out a message to Mirana for help. He could feel her nausea and fear like it was his own due to the marking on her neck and it was slowly driving him even more mad that he was unable to help. Currently he was pacing a groove in his wooden floor as he listened to the other half of his heart dry heave and sob. Just hearing her so distraught, let alone feeling it, nearly made his heart break in two. A sudden, very loud barking broke him out of his swirling worry and the milliner rushed to his door to greet the ever loyal Bayard and Mally. “Mirana told us poor Alice was sick with child,” the rodent whispered, sympathy thick in her tiny voice.

“That she be Mally,” the male replied in a soft lisp that was slightly edge by a burr. Green rimmed his worry filled, orange orbs as he stood aside and bade the pair to enter. Despite the fact that the former savior could still be hear gagging upstairs, the unbalanced male really needed the company at the moment. Hopefully one of them would have a solution.

“My wife had this problem with our first litter. Beezlebum honey should do the trick. Even if she can't stop vomiting, just the smallest drop on her gums will stop it. Give her a spoonful once a day and she'll be right as rain,” the old hound advised, looking at the stairs with deep concern on his droopy, fur covered face.

Just hearing such a simple solution filled the tailor with an energy he hadn't felt since Alice started getting sick. “Will yae stay here fer mae and keep Alice comp'ny? Ah'll no' bae long,” the excited tailor requested before her grabbed his top hat and dashed out the door. His heart seemed to racing in time with his footsteps as he moved towards a grove of trees with a purpose. A faint buzzing could be heard from the group of trees and several letter 'b's flew around huge, hanging, capital 'B' shaped hives. Beezlebum bees could give quite a nasty sting, rendering a victim unable to speak except for in short bursts of nonsense words starting with the letter 'b'. He would have to be careful gathering the honey.

Five minutes later, Tarrant was tearing ass to his house; a cloud of 'b's rights on his heels. Under a purple clad arm was a dripping hive and he had a triumphant but terrified look on his pale face. Then he was flinging his door open and slamming it shut on the 'b's, flinging the hive onto his kitchen table once he was safe. Scooping up a handful of the golden liquid, he was sprinting upstairs to the bathroom his other half occupied. Inside was a sobbing Alice and two concerned animals. “Donnae worreh mae Alice. Yeh'll soon feel better,” he assured her, moving to her side in long strides.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _Second Month_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alice sighed as she rode Bandy to another village that needed repairs. A lot of creatures had been changed, running amok and tearing apart people's homes. Some of the creatures hadn't changed back, having to be killed due to being to dangerous to the innocent denizens. Right now she should be joining Tarrant in an effort to clean up a mass of dead deformities that had been found but she had been sent to this village to help with an irrigation. For the first time since she had gotten pregnant, she honestly hated it. She thought she had hated how people had treated her when she had been champion, well this was much worse.

Tarrant acted like she would break if he sneezed on her and the others weren't much better, rushing to her side if she so much as sighed too loudly. The only one that hadn't acted this way had been Chessur. She could understand their worry for her after how hard she had it for the first month of her pregnancy. Now though, she was back to normal. She could handle herself and any situation and yet they continued to treat her like she must be coddled.

Sighing in exasperation, the blonde turned her hulking mount into the small village and was greeted with a scene of absolute chaos. The villagers all seemed to be chasing around a small, serpentine dragon that held a loaf of bread in its mouth. As it tried to escape the angry mob, it would jump on several stands full of items for sale; sometimes accidentally knocking them over. The little dragon could only be a very young hatchling and looked scared for its very life, making the champion's maternal instincts practically take over.

Urging Bandy to go faster, she climbed down the side that was closest to the little reptile, gripping the silver and black striped fur tightly, and scooped the silver colored being into her arms as they sped past. The crowd that had been chasing the creature waved the weapons they carried in the air, shouting Outlandish obscenities as they moved quickly left sight due to Bandy's speed. “Well, I guess that's _one_ village Tarrant will have to take care of alone,” the blonde whispered, watching as the small huddle of buildings slowly disappeared behind them. Then she was looking down at the dragonling in her arms. The creature couldn't be any bigger than a large house cat and had a long, silver colored body. It's underbelly was a burnished gold color and its mane was a deep teal color, almost the color of the ocean. One of its long whiskers wrapped around her wrist as it looked up at her with the bluest eyes she had ever seen.

“What's your name little one?” she asked, wondering if the being was even old enough to talk yet. The little dragon only tilted its head, grasping the bread it held in its mouth with it's front paws and taking a bite.

Alice only chuckled softly, her heart already melting for the hatchling. If it couldn't talk that meant she had to name it herself. From the looks of it, the little one's parents were no longer around to return it to or ask what its name and gender was. Her blue eyes traveled down its snake-like body to assess it's gender, finding the dragonling was a boy. “When we get you home, we'll have to ask Tarrant what to call you. I don't know any draconic names and I don't want to name you like I would a pet,” the savior mused as Bandy took them the long way home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _Third Month_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“No, I will _not_ stay behind!” Alice exclaimed in an exasperated tone. Tarrant only glowered at her with red rimmed, worry filled eyes.

“Alice…,” he started in a gruff, Outlandish burr. The stubborn blonde held out a hand to silence him. Her cerulean eye flashed with burning fury as the now Rottweiler sized dragon flounced around their feet.

Keilik gave off small growls as he placed his front paws on the tailor's upper thigh. _'No, no, no, no!'_ the young dragon fairly barked, distress clear in his voice. He was just learning to speak so his vocalizations were still childish despite his incredible intelligence. He already had the mindset of a five year old human child and was getting smarter everyday. Still, all this didn't stop him from acting like the child he was. Seeing his parents quarreling like this was very distressing to the dragonling.

“Its okay Keilik, go play outside while we talk,” Alice soothed, kneeling and taking the young creature's face in her hands and turning him to face her.

 _'Okay droma,'_ he chirped, still looking a bit worried as he left.

Once her adopted son was gone, the weary champion flopped in a chair and pinched her nose; releasing a sigh of utter irritation. “I don't want to fight you about this but I refuse to act like an invalid when I'm perfectly fine,” she sighed, smiling at the teacup that nuzzled into her hand. The teapot on the table trotted over to pour her some mint tea. It was one of the few beverages she could stand due to her pregnancy. Lately it seemed like her taste buds had turned topsy-turvey and it was driving her crazy.

“Ah donnae want anythin' t'happen t'yae,” The haberdasher rasped, his voice thick with concern and frustration.

“I am not made out of glass Tarrant! You can't expect me to just stay in the house when there's still work to be done!” the blonde spat, her eyes flashing with determination and indignation. She hadn't had a catatonic spell in quite some time and had even been able to fight without locking up in fear. There was no reason for her to be treated as if a strong gale would break her.

“Yaer pregnant! Yae shouldnae bae traipsin' around on that bluddy beast o'yaers, goin' Lord knows where,” the orange haired male hissed, tears rolling down his drawn cheeks.

Seeing her beloved so distressed caused guilt to briefly spike through her but she refused to be swayed by his tears. “I may be pregnant but I can still bloody defend myself! I have that katana you gave me and Bandy would never let anything happen to me. I've gotten better Tarrant, you have to learn to accept that,” she reasoned, running a hand through her flaxen hair before taking a small sip of her tea.

“Alice…,” he tried again, only to be cut off by her steely glare.

“No, I am still the Under's champion! As long as I can help, I will,” she bit out, before shoving her chair back from the table and stomping out of their small but humble house. The tailor only watched her, his expression a mix between worried and resignation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _Sixth Month_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alice stood sandwiched between Mirana and Tarrant as they watched the last of the darkness leaving Underland's sky. Finally, after months of hard work, they had restored the land to a state of balance. Well, as balanced as a land of madness could be. Even the atmosphere was light and happy, matching the moods of all the denizens gathered in the courtyard for this day. As soon as the last bit of shadow left the blue sky, the crowd let out a cheer of celebration. There were still many abominations that wandered the Under but most had begun gaining the temperament of an untainted creature. The attacks on villages had even stopped, giving this mob of people plenty of cause to be happy.

Beaming in happiness, the former champion placed a hand on her growing dome. Chessur had told them they would be having a daughter, a fact that still stunned the ex-tradeswoman. She wouldn't have been able to imagine herself in this position just months ago and that realization shocked her. “Are yae well?” came a worried burr by her ear, drawing her attention to her other half. The haberdasher's orange rimmed green eyes were focused on her stomach as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Yes, just thinking about things. We're going to be parents soon, something I never thought I would be. I never thought I would have any of this, least of all you,” she whispered in a soft voice before giving his lips a chaste kiss.

The kiss didn't stay chaste for long as his purple clad arms came up to wrap around her as he tilted his head to deepen the embrace. The haberdasher growled against her lips as his tongue forced its way into her mouth and a half gloved hand came up to cradle the back of her head. His orange tipped fingers tangled in her golden locks as his tongue played with hers. Then he was breaking the kiss to scoop her up into his arms and carry her into the palace. “T-tarrant!” the mortified female gasped, clutching to his neck as he fairly ran towards the guest rooms.

“Mirana'll no' mind. Ah'll explode if Ah donnae have yae soon,” he hissed, kicking open the door and placing her on the bed. Then he was closing the door and locking it before he prowled back over to her and covered her body with his, taking her soft lips in a searing kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _Eighth Month_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alice laid on their bed with an amused look on her face as her beloved paced the floor. Rubbing her huge belly, the gravid savior sighed as she felt the latest contraction ebb. “Tarrant, it'll be hours yet. I don't see why you sent for Mirana,” she teased, nearly giggling at the ire filled look his orange eyes shot her.

“Bairn's bae unpredictable mae Alice. We need t'bae pr'pared fer anytin',” he rasped, red swirling in his eyes from his immense worry. Giving him a loving smile, the laboring female motioned the milliner to come closer.

The look he gave her very nearly made her lose her already tenuous battle with those dratted giggles. He looked like she had just asked him to walk into a crocogator's mouth. Then he was moving toward her cautiously, acting as if she was a Bandersnatch that might attack him. “I won't bite you, last time I checked, it was you that did the biting,” she teased, gesturing to her neck. The pale skin was littered with bite marks in various states of healing. The strained looking male giggled slightly, some of his tension leaving him as he closed the distance and took her hand in both of his.

“I'll be fine love. Women have been doing this for millions of years, most of that without help,” she assured gently as he lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the delicate skin.

“Ah know bu', tis different…,” he whispered, sinking to his knees as he laid his long torso on the bed. His curl surrounded head was on her breast with his red rimmed orange eyes fixed on her face. Worry and fear filled the fiery orbs, the dark rings around them only making their color more intense.

The moment was interrupted by a knock from downstairs and Tarrant reluctantly pulled himself away from his pregnant soulmate. “Ah'll no' bae long,” he assured, his eyes flicking to the lounging feline that floated above Alice's bed. As if sensing the glance, Chessur merely opened one eye and smiled. As much as he distrusted the feline, he knew Chess would make sure Alice was taken care of. Ever since the incident with Stayne, the feline was never far from the former champion's side. Sighing, he went downstairs, looking at the now six foot tall and long dragon that lay on the couch.

Keilik's worry filled eyes locked on his adopted father, his whiskers rippling along his sides gently. _'Is droma well?'_ he asked, his voice a mere whisper so as not to disturb the laboring female upstairs.

“Yes droso. Your drosi will be here soon,” the tailor assured, doing his best to give his reptilian son a smile. Despite the difference in species, Tarrant saw the dragon as nothing more than his child. Giving Keilik's canine-like muzzle a pet, the haberdasher moved to the door; opening it to reveal a beaming Mirana.

“Why so many serious faces? Today is a happy day! Today we bring new life into the world!” the monarch chirped, floating into the small hut; the door closing itself in her wake.

 _'I am worried for my droma, droaun Mirana. Birth is not an easy thing,'_ the serpentine dragon sighed, his whiskers falling to the floor and his tail drooping. Even his head hung low as his galaxy filled eyes closed.

“There's no need to worry. I will make sure nothing goes awry,” the white clad Queen assured before gliding up the stairs to check on Alice.

~~ _Hours Later_ ~~

Moans filled the room as Alice pushed as hard as she could. Tarrant perched behind her, holding her hand as he whispered encouragement in her ear. Her womanhood felt as if it was on fire as it stretched around their coming daughter, almost making the shaking female want to stop pushing. Collapsing back into her beloved, she nestled into his chest as she moaned heavily. She was completely unaware that the tailor was feeling her pain as if it was his own. Their connection was so strong, it made him feel like he was giving life to his daughter along with her; the most intimate thing he had ever felt. “You're doing good Alice. The head's just about out,” Mirana encouraged from between her shuddering thighs.

When the next wave came, the blonde was surging forward as she pushed as hard as she could; gritting her teeth. Tarrant tensed behind her, his breath coming out in small puffs along with hers; not even feeling her crushing his half gloved hand in her grip. Then the pair released a cry in unison as the head popped free. The exhausted female collapsed into her panting partner, so wrapped up in giving birth that she didn't even notice what was going on with him.

The haberdasher's thin chest heaved and his pupils were blown as his finger flexed on Alice's hand. Even though it wasn't happening to him, he was gaining an all new appreciation for women that went through this. All too soon the birthing female was pushing again, nearly drawing a groan of pain from his own lips as the first shoulder came free. “Just a bit more dear,” the Queen encouraged excitement in her voice. All of this was ignored as the ex-champion kept pushing, determined to get this child out of her already.

Then it came, drawing a sigh of relief from both of them. Soon there was a gentle pulling sensation as their child was brought into the world. She immediately started squalling, making the exhausted lovers smile. Mirana gave them a grin as she cleaned their daughter, removing the afterbirth when it came. “Here you are,” the beaming monarch cooed, handing the towel wrapped infant to her mother. Alice smiled down at the bundle, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. She had one blue eye and one orange with a shock of bright orange hair on her head.

“She's absolutely perfect,” the new mother sighed, giving her child a finger to hold.

“Yes, she is,” Tarrant rasped from behind her, his own tears rolling down his cheeks as he pressed a kiss to the marking on his beloved's neck. Mirana only gave them a smile, cleaning up and leaving to give the pair some much needed privacy.

“Can we name her Lilsa?” the tailor asked shyly, making Alice jolt awake from the very edge of sleep.

“Mmm what a lovely name, the exhausted savior breathed, knowing she would have to ask for the story later. As she drifted into a deep sleep, she still found herself amazed by where she was now. Despite this not being the life she had seen for herself, she couldn't imagine being any happier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
_**The End** _


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